BUSINESS AS USUAL AT CENTRE?

It is unclear whether the organization that conducted more than a
dozen studies on the city's injection site for the federal government
will continue its research on the facility.

The uncertainty for the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS comes
after Health Minister Tony Clement announced Sept. 1 that more studies
will be conducted on Insite at 139 East Hastings.

Clement didn't say who would conduct the studies over the next 16
months. But he said studies will focus on how supervised injection
sites affect crime, prevention and treatment.

Three years ago, Vancouver Coastal Health selected the B.C. Centre to
be the sole evaluator of the site. The contract was worth $1.5 million.

"We have not been advised of any work or funding, and until we hear
otherwise, we're under the assumption that the Centre's peer-reviewed
research will continue," said Dr. Thomas Kerr, a scientist with the
B.C. Centre.

The B.C. Centre's studies found that Insite hasn't encouraged more
drug use, has not led to an increase in drug-related crime and reduced
needle sharing.

Researchers also pointed out that none of the addicts using the site
has died of an overdose in the facility. Drugs are not tested and are
purchased illegally by the user.

Insite opened in September 2003 as a three-year scientific experiment.
Its operating licence was to expire Sept. 12, but Clement has allowed
it to remain open until December 2007.

The provincial steering committee, which includes doctors and police,
requested the site be extended for another three-and-a-half years to
conduct further research.

Clement will decide in December 2007 whether the experiment will
continue. He said initial research has "raised new questions" and the
federal government couldn't make "an informed decision" on the site's
future.

"Do safe injections sites contribute to lowering drug use and fighting
addiction?" he asked in his statement. "Right now the only thing the
research to date has proven conclusively is drug addicts need more
help to get off drugs."

Added Clement: "We believe the best form of harm reduction is to help
addicts to break the cycle of dependency. We also need better
education and prevention to ensure Canadians don't get addicted to
drugs in the first place."

Clement's announcement came the same week the B.C. division of the
RCMP issued a press release stating it didn't support injection sites.

Staff Sgt. John Ward, a spokesman for the RCMP, told the Courier last
week that the national force has yet to see research that "we can have
some confidence in."

Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in a recent trip to Vancouver that
he would consult the RCMP before his government decided on the future
of Insite.

The Vancouver Police Department and its police chief, Jamie Graham,
called for an extension of the facility's operating licence.