INSITE STILL WAITING FOR FEDERAL NOD

Prime Minister Stephen Harper says he expects an announcement on the
status of Vancouver's supervised injection site "very soon."

"I won't be making any announcements on this trip," Harper told
reporters in a tightly controlled news conference in Vancouver
yesterday. "But I anticipate [Health Minister Tony Clement will] be
making an announcement on that very quickly."

Insite, the Downtown Eastside injection facility, operates on a legal
exemption that expires Sept. 12. The site's backers yesterday were
still rallying support before the deadline.

"If it just comes down to saving lives, what could possibly be argued
against that," said Susie Ruttan, whose son is a recovering heroin
addict. "... I'd like to say to Mr. Harper, this could be your child.
Drug addiction knows no boundaries."

Retired Vancouver Police Insp. Ken Frail said his opinion on Insite
has changed since the idea was first proposed.

"I was squeamish about a place where our children would be putting
poison into their arms," Frail said. "... But if my daughter was on
the street, and wouldn't come into treatment, I would want her to
have the ability to go into a site where she would learn how to use
the drugs in a safe way."

Dr. Thomas Kerr, lead researcher at Insite, said he has tried
unsuccessfully to meet with federal officials.

"It's getting kind of late in the game here," Kerr said. "I'm not
sure now a meeting is what's needed. What we need is an answer."