SAFE INJECTION SITE COULD BE VIABLE ALTERNATIVE

For some people, creating a safe injection site in Victoria might seem like
an admittance that our fair city is falling victim to the evils of its
bigger neighbour, Vancouver.

But, while Victoria's drug problem is less severe, that doesn't diminish
the urgency of addressing the before it gets too big for our limited
health-care, social service and police resources to handle.

Vancouver Mayor Larry Campbell campaigned successfully on the safe
injection site issue. During his time as Vancouver coroner, he saw far too
many people die from overdoses and vowed to do something about it.

It didn't hurt that former mayor Philip Owen had become an advocate after
getting up close and personal with some of the people who were struggling
with drug addiction on Vancouver's Downtown East Side.

Now we see Victoria Mayor Alan Lowe taking a similar stance. Lowe is aware
that people are dying here, too, and wants to give those troubled souls a
chance to straighten themselves out.

As the head of the police board and city council, Lowe sees the problem
from all sides. He must listen to the business folk who want to get rid of
the drug trade and to social advocates who sympathize with addicts.

Locating a safe injection site within the city limits might be a tough
political decision to make. But as Vancouver staffer Wendy Au told a crowd
of locals gathered at City Hall last week to hear about her city's
experience with safe injection sites, addicts won't travel to use such a
facility.

In Victoria, the problem is on the fringes of downtown and in some cases,
right in the middle.

Which means Lowe will have to show some strong political leadership if we
are to have a safe injection site, even if it upsets some of the city's
less compassionate taxpayers.