SAFE INJECTION SITE CLOSER TO REALITY

VANCOUVER - North America's first supervised safe injection site will open
in Vancouver within the next two months, says Mayor Larry Campbell. The
Vancouver mayor hosted a meeting of community groups, business and labour
organizations to bring them up to date on progress in getting the site up
and running.

They were told the Hastings Street facility in the city's Downtown Eastside
will be open 18 hours a day, seven days a week. The Vancouver Coastal
Health Authority expects at least 850 injections a day, but acknowledges
that number could rise dramatically once the site opens. Officials hope the
health of intravenous drug users will be improved through contact with the
facility. But Vancouver Coastal Heath Authority CEO Ida Goudreau says it
would be foolish to think the site will solve all of the community's drug
problems. "We firmly believe that a supervised injection site in and of
itself, is not going to make a huge difference. We must have treatment
coupled with our harm reduction component of our response." Goudreau says
the current treatment options for drug users are not enough -- that more
needs to be done in the areas of detox, methadone access and mental health
services.

The province is paying more than $1 million to renovate the old building
However, the health authority is still looking for another $2 million to
operate the facility.

It says it's trying to find that money without using the existing budget,
so it can avoid cutting other programs.