PM PRESSED ON SAFE INJECTION SITE

Government's Silence Worries Delegates

TORONTO - To the sound of angry lunchtime motorists honking their
horns, protesters stopped traffic at one of Canada's busiest
intersections yesterday to protest the Harper government's continuing
refusal to say whether it will allow a safe injection site in
Vancouver to stay open.

About 500 protesters left in buses from the International AIDS
Conference to briefly block 336 Toronto intersections, but the bulk
of them headed to Yonge and Bloor streets. Organizers were unable to
confirm whether the protests had been successful at all 336 -- a
number chosen because 336 people who overdosed at the injection site
are still alive.

The injection site's three-year exemption from federal drug laws
expires next month.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has already expressed his philosophical
opposition to safe injection sites, but promised earlier this year to
wait for evidence of its effectiveness before making a decision on
whether to prolong its life. The centre, called Insite, released a
study here on Tuesday saying that the evidence is overwhelmingly in
favour of the centre remaining open.

Former U.S. president Bill Clinton also gave the injection site a
boost at his news conference yesterday, saying the sites are a vital
tool in the fight against AIDS and admitting he was wrong to oppose
them when he was president.

Bloc Quebecois health critic Christiane Gagnon made a surprise
appearance at the rally yesterday, urging Mr. Harper to follow Mr.
Clinton's example.

"The Bloc thinks you're right to ask Mr. Harper to change his mind,
like Mr. Clinton changed his mind," she told the crowd. "We will
pressurize Harper when the House if Commons resumes but I hope he
changes his mind before. His head is in the sand."

Federal Health Minister Tony Clement is apparently scheduled to make
an announcement related to AIDS before the conference ends on Friday,
but he has already hastily postponed one news conference without
explanation. His staff refuse to say when the announcement will be
made -- if it all.

Gillian Maxwell, spokeswoman for the Insite centre, said if Canadians
want a meaningful anti-AIDS policy, safe injection sites need to be
available nationwide.

"People who inject need safe health facilities to stop the spread of
HIV," she said. "This isn't just a Vancouver problem, it's a national
problem. If we're going to get on top of HIV in Canada we're going to
have to provide these sites for people."

Rally organizer Christopher Livingstone, from Vancouver, said he is
worried about the injection site's future. "If the federal government
had good news," he said, "they would have announced it at the AIDS
conference, which is the perfect opportunity."

Mr. Livingstone said it makes financial sense to keep the site open:
"If you prevent one person from getting HIV you're saving at least
$350,000 a year."