SAFE-INJECTION-SITE PLAN THREATENED WITH SLOW DEATH

Victoria's aspirations for a safe-injection site will suffer a
premature death if the federal government pulls the plug on
Vancouver's safe injection facility, Mayor Alan Lowe said Thursday.

Commenting on a proposal from city staff to install used needle drop
boxes at various downtown locations, Lowe noted that the federal
government has yet to extend the licence for Vancouver's safe
injection site and said a decision to terminate the pilot project
would stall momentum in Victoria toward a similar site.

"It would kill our safe injection site and I don't want to see that
happen," Lowe said.

The Vancouver facility, InSite, is a pilot project made possible by
an exemption under the Canada Health Act allowing clients to use
illegal drugs on the premises, including heroin and crack cocaine.

But with that exemption due to expire in September and Prime Minister
Stephen Harper stating publicly that his government opposes legalized
drug use, supporters of a safe injection site for Victoria are not
optimistic.

"The safe consumption sites are part of an overall strategy to save
lives and without that in our tool kit it makes the work of saving
live in Victoria more difficult," said AIDS Vancouver Island
spokesperson Erik Ages.

In recent years, harm reduction advocates in Victoria have worked
hard to foster a dialogue about harm-reduction strategies, including
safe-consumption sites, Ages added.

"It would be a great shame to take a step back from that direction,"
he said.

Vancouver Coastal Health Authority spokesman Clay Adams said last
week the federal government has given no indication of its
intentions, but expressed hope that scientific data showing that
InSite has been successful will sway federal decision makers.

Meanwhile, the Vancouver Island Health Authority is proceeding with
research and budgetary groundwork for a safe-injection site
regardless of what happens on the Mainland.

"We are totally aware of the political environment, but none of that
needs to affect the work that's being done," said VIHA spokesperson
Suzanne Germain.

The Island's chief medical health officer, Richard Stanwick, is
developing a business plan that will be submitted to the VIHA board
of directors in the coming months.

However, budgetary approval would not be contemplated until fiscal
2007-08 at the earliest, she said.

Vancouver Coastal spent about $1.2 million renovating the downtown
East Side building that currently houses InSite.

The facility costs about $2 million a year to operate.