INJECTION-SITE DELAY IRKS MAYOR

Vancouver Mayor Larry Campbell wonders why money for a safe-injection site
for drug users can't be found as fast as the money for a SARS clinic, even
though far more people have died of drug overdoses in B.C. than have died
of SARS -- severe acute respiratory syndrome -- in all of Canada.

"It's a tragedy, the deaths [from SARS], but it amazes me how many
resources have been put into it here," he said Thursday. Seven people have
died of SARS in Ontario, although none have died among the three suspected
cases in B.C.

"What about this other disease? We've had 2,000 people die in this place in
the last 10 years," said Campbell, referring to the number of drug-overdose
deaths in the province. Although the number has dropped in recent years,
Vancouver's figures are still higher than other major cities. Since
Campbell took office Dec. 2, at least 20 people have died of drug overdoses
in Vancouver.

Campbell's remarks come as representatives for the Vancouver Coastal Health
Authority continue to insist this week they have no idea where the millions
of dollars will come from to operate a safe-injection site.

Although he was careful not to criticize the authority, saying he
understands that establishing the site will be a "long road" and that
everyone needs to work co-operatively, he expressed frustration at what is
happening as the project appears to be in limbo.

Although the authority has applied to the federal government for permission
to run the country's first safe-injection site and is expected to file an
application for a development permit to renovate a site on East Hastings,
everyone is in the dark about who is going to pay for construction and
operation.

Campbell said he expects the money will come from the health authority.

There is a $20-million pool of federal and provincial funds that have been
put into the Vancouver Agreement -- a three-government initiative that is
to be targeted at improving the economic and physical health of the city's
Downtown Eastside -- but the current understanding is that the agreement's
money shouldn't go to services that are supposed to be provided by the
provincial government.

The authority claims it will cost several million dollars a year to operate
the site, and Campbell says he wants to talk to its leaders about it.

"I would like to use the Zurich model, which is something [people from the
authority] have seen," said Campbell. "That means two nurses, some young
social workers. But if they're talking about having 14 doctors there, it's
going to cost more."

Campbell said the authority should be looking at the money it will save.

"If you can get 10 people not to get HIV, then they'll have saved their money."