EX-MAYORS SUPPORT INJECTION SITE

Harcourt, Owen and Campbell Will Call on the Federal Government to
Renew Insite's Drug-Law Exemption

VANCOUVER -- Three former mayors of Vancouver will appear together at
a news conference today to call on the federal government to keep the
city's supervised injection site open.

Mike Harcourt, Philip Owen and Larry Campbell will sign a joint
letter to the Conservative government asking them to renew the
exemption under Canada's drug laws that has allowed the site to
operate for the past three years.

Without another exemption, the site -- known as Insite -- is due to
close on Sept. 12.

Mike Harcourt, a former NDP premier who served as mayor from 1980 to
1986, said the news conference is meant to highlight the broad-based
political support behind Insite.

"The vast majority of people that I talk to in Vancouver, whatever
their politicsm see it as being a surprising success in preventing
deaths from overdoses and lowering the HIV/AIDS and hepatitis rates
from dirty needles," he said. "It's a solid success that should be
allowed to continue."

Owen served as mayor from 1993 to 2002 and Campbell, now a Liberal
senator, oversaw Insite's creation during his term in office from 2002 to 2005.

Current mayor Sam Sullivan is also a strong supporter of Insite and
B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell, who served as Vancouver mayor from 1986
to 1993, has said he supports the site continuing.

Supporters of North America's first legal injection site have stepped
up their campaign to save it as the deadline for the government to
decide whether or not to keep it open draws closer.

In recent weeks, news releases in support of the site have been sent
to reporters on a nearly daily basis and recent studies suggest the
site has saved addicts' lives.

Julio Montaner, director of the B.C. Centre for Excellence in
HIV/AIDS, has called the injection site "the single most successful
project I've ever been involved with," and argued that the evidence
in favour of the site is "irrefutable."

During last week's AIDS conference in Toronto, supporters of the site
shut down traffic in downtown Toronto and former U.S. president Bill
Clinton said injection sites are a vital tool in the fight against AIDS.

The decision on whether or not to extend the site will be made by
federal Health Minister Tony Clement.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said in the past that his party, on
principle, does not support measures that encourage drug use -
leading some to believe the site will not continue.

But Harcourt said he's optimistic.

"I think they're going to renew it," he said. "I'd be shocked if they didn't."