MAYORS TO DISCUSS SAFE INJECTION SITES

Victoria And Vancouver Could Work Together In Face Of Tory Opposition

Victoria may ask to "piggyback" off the success of Vancouver's safe
injection site in order to one day get its own, says mayor Alan Lowe.

Just how the two cities can work together on safe injection and harm
reduction strategies for drug users is one topic to be discussed by
Lowe and Vancouver mayor Sam Sullivan during a meeting today, said Lowe.

A united strategy may be the best way to deal with the federal
Conservative government, he said. The Tories have indicated a
reluctance to allow the sites, first approved when the Liberals were
in power, where users can obtain clean equipment and inject drugs
such as cocaine and heroin under medical supervision.

Vancouver's Insite facility in the city's downtown east side -- the
first of its kind in North America -- is nearing the end of its
three-year pilot project status this fall. Research suggests it has
reduced the spread of disease and overdoses among the most at-risk
users. However, public drug use remains a problem and became the
focus of a police crackdown in February.

Victoria is still mulling over options for its own site to serve an
injection drug population estimated at 1,500-2,000 users.

Lowe said it could be easiest to ask to join Vancouver's project
renewal process, thereby making one application for safe injection
sites in both Vancouver and Victoria.

"I may very well see if we can piggyback," Lowe said. Victoria has
already based its harm reduction policies on Vancouver's four-pillars
approach -- prevention, treatment, housing and enforcement. Safe
injection falls under the treatment pillar.

During last year's municipal elections, Lowe promised to move forward
on a safe injection site in 2006. "One can still hope," he said
Sunday, adding the new federal government has altered timelines.

In Victoria, a feasibility study on the benefits of starting a safe
injection site was recently finished by Richard Stanwick, Vancouver
Island's Chief Medical Health Officer. It is now being reviewed by
Vancouver Island Health Authority CEO Howard Waldner.

Lowe and Sullivan's meeting comes on the opening day of a global
conference on drug harm reduction in Vancouver.