THEY DESERVE BETTER

I would like to express my concern about the federal government's
inability to come out with an unequivocal acknowledgment of the work
North America's first supervised-injection site has done.

Insite has been up and running successfully for three years.

They shouldn't have to wait for the September deadline to hear
whether or not they are going to be able to continue their very important work.

The question I want to ask is why are we still waiting.

The work that the safe-injection site does is crucial.

But we also need the rehabilitation and residences and the education
to make this whole program really effective.

The nurses who work in this facility and in the Downtown Eastside
know that this is just one facet of a good program.

We need to have places to send people who want to come off drugs.

They shouldn't have to wait when they have made up their minds to quit.

We need an effective and proactive government that will meet this
challenge head-on.

We need action, not silence. We need Insite and more. It's time.

Marnie Hewlett,

Surrey