TORIES SOFTEN STAND ON INJECTION SITE

Department Of Health To Wait For Study Before Deciding Fate Of
Vancouver Program

OTTAWA -- The federal government has no immediate plans to close
Vancouver's supervised injection site for heroin users, says a
spokesman for Health Minister Tony Clement.

Eric Waddell said the Conservative government is keeping an open mind
on the issue, and waiting for a study of the site's effectiveness due
this fall.

The position comes as a surprise to some given that Prime Minister
Stephen Harper was widely quoted during the election campaign as
saying he would scupper safe injection sites if elected.

"We want to see some sound evidence from this study before we make a
decision on whether to support keeping the sites open," said Mr.
Waddell in an interview yesterday.

"We're not going to step forward right now and clamp down in any way
on the supervised injection sites. We're not going to take a
reactionary stance on this thing."

Earlier this week, Mr. Harper met with Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan,
who pressed him to maintain the program, which many addiction experts
want to see replicated in other parts of the country.

The main argument behind supervised injection sites is that they
reduce the number of overdoses and curb the rate of HIV and hepatitis
C infections. But the concept does not fit easily with Conservative
pledges to get tough on crime.

Former Conservative MP Randy White, who now heads an anti-drug group
called the Drug Prevention Network of Canada, expressed disbelief that
Mr. Harper has changed his mind on the issue.

Mr. White said the injection sites do not get people off drugs but
draw resources from efforts to promote abstinence and
rehabilitation.

The federal government does not fund the Vancouver site, but has
provided $1.5-million to assess its effectiveness. It is that
assessment the Conservatives are awaiting.

Ottawa does have the ability to close the Vancouver site because it
relies on an exemption under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.

"We try to keep an open mind on every issue," Mr. Waddell said. "We'll
assess any issue that comes up based on its merits and based on
evidence. As things stand right now we're not going to make any formal
decision on the future of these sites until the fall."

The Conservatives are known to be worried about their electoral
prospects in British Columbia, where they have lost seats in each of
the past two elections, mainly to the New Democrats.