CLEMENT MAKES SURPRISE VISIT TO B.C. SAFE-INJECTION SITE

VANCOUVER - Health Minister Tony Clement made his first visit to a
safe drug-injection site yesterday, touring the Insite facility in
Vancouver's downtown east side .

Mr. Clement, accused by critics of having a hidden agenda against such
operations, spent about 30 minutes at Insite during his surprise tour.

He strolled through the waiting room, injection room and lounge,
chatting with drug users and staff while reporters waited outside.

Mr. Clement was a tough critic of safe-injection sites as health
minister under former Ontario premier Mike Harris about three years
ago, vowing to keep them out of that province because he preferred
anti-drug education, awareness, treatment and rehab.

Since entering federal politics, he has been accused of being equally
skeptical.

"I had a good chat with the staff there, understood some of their
procedures, asked a lot of questions, got a lot of answers," Mr.
Clement said after his tour.

He declined to say whether his views had changed.

"I am continuing to get a deeper understanding and this is all part of
being the best health minister I can be."

Insite, which opened in 2003, faced the prospect of being closed last
fall while Mr. Clement tried to decide whether to renew an exemption
that allows the use of illegal drugs inside the facility.