MAYOR EYES SAFE-DRUG SITE FOR CITY

In light of a favourable report on a similar program in Vancouver,
Mayor Stephen Mandel says Edmonton might benefit from having its own
safe drug-injection site. "I'd like to see us pursue a program that
would allow for safe use of drugs," Mandel said yesterday, noting that
Vancouver's pilot project has been shown to be successful.

"You don't want the public to think that we're encouraging drug use,
but it's like any of these things, you can't bury your head in the
sand," he said.

"The reality of the world is that we have to get these people off the
problem and make them contributing citizens of the city of Edmonton."

Next week, council will receive a report in response to Coun. Michael
Phair's questions about Vancouver's safe-injection facility.

The facility is North America's first government-sanctioned supervised
injection facility. Vancouver junkies can go there to inject
intravenous drugs with medical help nearby.

They can also access addiction treatment services on-site.

Coun. Janice Melnychuk, who is heading up the mayor's drug-strategy
task force, said the committee is interested in a safe drug-injection
site here in Edmonton.

Just what priority the proposal will have will be discussed at a Jan.
20 community drug-strategy meeting, she said.

"I'm very interested in this approach, it's just probably not going to
be the first thing on the table,"Melnychuk said. "It looks encouraging
at this point. It's encouraging that it's a valid way to reduce the
harm of drugs on the street."

Gary Nelson, a volunteer with the Edmonton Community Drug Strategy,
said he personally believes there are other programs the city would
benefit from first.

"There are a lot of things that we could do before we're at that point
(of opening a safe-injection site)," Nelson said.

"Vancouver is a number of steps further along the drug-use continuum;
their problem is a lot worse than ours."

Nelson said he would rather see a youth drug-treatment facility set up
first, or an information line to help parents get in touch with
drug-treatment resources in the community.