CROSSES SYMBOLIZE LIVES SAVED BY SAFE INJECTION SITE

VANCOUVER) -- Supporters of Canada's only safe injection site for
intravenous heroin users erected 336 crosses at the edge of English
Bay on Thursday to demonstrate how many lives might be lost if the site closes.

The number reflects the number of overdoses that occurred at the
Insite facility in the Downtown Eastside between March 1, 2004 and
August 30, 2005, said Gillian Maxwell of Insite For Community Safety.
None of the overdoses at the site resulted in a fatality.

"Insite has been very successful in saving lives. We want to
illustrate that, to make it real for people by putting these crosses
in the law here today, to show you how many peoples' lives have been
saved," Maxwell said.

Health Canada is currently assessing the site to see whether it will
renew the exemption that allows North America's only safe injection
site to operate legally.

The exemption expires Sept. 12.

"We want to tell the prime minister, that given this evidence, that
if the doors close on Insite, many people will die as a consequence,"
Maxwell said.

She said the site is a gateway for people to get into the health
system so they can get help with their addictions. The site, which
opened in September 2003, is the first supervised injection facility
in North America where drug users can inject their own drugs under
the supervision of nurses.