OTTAWA STILL STUDYING SAFE-INJECTION SITE

Fate Up In Air: Health Canada Doing 'Research Assessment'

Vancouver's safe-injection site for IV drug users is inching closer
toward word on its fate.

Health Canada is currently doing a research assessment of the
effectiveness of the supervised facility.

After three years' operation, Insite on East Hastings Street has yet
to receive an extension of its special exemption that would allow it
to remain open.

The exemption runs out Sept. 12. Ottawa has promised an announcement
before the expiry date.

"The department hasn't committed to an extension of the current
exemption," said Health Canada spokeswoman Carole Saindon, speaking
from Ottawa.

"There's this research assessment under way that is to be
completed."

The B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS has been gathering research
data on the site since it opened and is now answering follow-up
questions from Health Canada.

Conclusions will be presented to Health Minister Tony
Clement.

Meanwhile, the RCMP will also present Prime Minister Stephen Harper
with a pair of reports on the facility.

They were written by two local criminologists, Ray Corrado of Simon
Fraser University and Irwin Cohen of University College of the Fraser
Valley.

According to media reports, the academics gave the site their
approval.

In Vancouver, Downtown Eastside groups are making a mix of lobbying
efforts.

Gillian Maxwell of the group Insite for Community Safety calls her
approach "soft-shoe lobbying."

The group, set up by the Portland Hotel Society, planted 336 crosses
in Vanier Park last month to symbolize the number of overdoses at
Insite that did not result in deaths.

More than 2,400 letters have also been sent to Ottawa through the
group's website and hand-written letter campaign.

"We're just trying to tell them about the widespread support for the
facility in the community.

This thing really works," said Maxwell.

Taking a more militant tack is the Anti-Poverty Committee, which will
hold a rally outside Trade Minister David Emerson's constituency
office on Aug. 16.

Kim Kerr of the Downtown Eastside Residents Association said the best
selling point for the facility is that it saves lives.

"The whole basis of harm-reduction is to keep people alive," said
Kerr. "It's demonstrated that it saves lives.

"We need more safe-injection sites. [This one] can't keep up with the
demand."