SETBACK NOT STOPPING INJECTION-SITE PLANS

Victoria, Prince George Ready Proposals Despite Limited Extension in Vancouver

VANCOUVER -- Officials in Victoria and Prince George say they still
hope to open supervised injection sites in their cities soon, despite
the federal government's limited extension for the Vancouver facility.

Victoria Mayor Alan Lowe said it's regrettable that Health Canada will
not consider any new applications for injection sites until Ottawa
reviews the effectiveness of Vancouver's Insite clinic. But he said
his city still intends to submit its proposal by early next year,
adding that Victoria would learn from the Vancouver experience.

"The Insite project in Vancouver has proved to be successful, and a
facility similar to that will be beneficial to Victoria, but I also
agree with the Canadian Police Association that you cannot rely on the
supervised injection site alone. In Vancouver, they only focused on
the supervised injection site and I think there are fears that the
other pillars aren't getting the same focus."

Last week, the Canadian Police Association said the federal government
should close Insite and focus on education, enforcement and treatment.
A few hours later, federal Health Minister Tony Clement announced he
would keep the site open until December, 2007, but was unable to
approve a request to keep it open another 3 1/2 years.

More research needs to be done about whether the site is achieving
results, he said.

The province provides most of the funds for the injection site but
Ottawa must provide an exemption from federal drug laws so that
addicts can take drugs inside without fear of being arrested.

Insite, the first such facility in North America, accommodates more
than 600 drug users a day.

The main argument in favour of supervised injection sites is that they
reduce the number of overdoses and curb the rate of HIV and
hepatitis-C infections.

Victoria wants to set up a number of smaller injection sites in its
downtown, which is more compact than Vancouver's, rather than a single
facility like the one operating in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

Prince George would also like to set up a supervised injection site in
its downtown core. The city has a big hepatitis-C problem and HIV
rates have skyrocketed in recent years.

Lorna Medd, chief medical health officer for the Northern Health
Authority, said the immediate concerns are increasing hours and
staffing of a needle exchange and getting a mobile van on the road.

"We've been watching what the process has been with the long hard look
at the safe injection site in Vancouver and we're feeling if there
isn't a long-term solution in Vancouver it will be a difficult thing
for Prince George," she said.

Dr. Medd said despite the setback in Vancouver, she and other members
of the community in Prince George are still proceeding with developing
a plan to open a supervised injection site.