63% OF B.C. PEOPLE WANT INSITE TO STAY

The future of Vancouver's Supervised Injection Site may be in doubt,
but harm reduction advocates are encouraged by the results of a recent
public survey.

According to a Mustel Group survey released yesterday, 63 per cent of
B.C. adults think the federal government should extend InSite's
licence beyond this year.

Among Vancouver residents alone, that number jumps to 76 per
cent.

The survey, which polled 852 B.C. adults, has a margin of error of 3.4
per cent.

"What is significant is that a majority of people support it when no
effort has been made by the government to educate the public about the
site or harm reduction," said Ann Livingston, the executive director
of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU).

Livingston has long been a supporter of the site and says extending
its licence should be a no-brainer.

"The safe injection site is the best practice for harm reduction,
studies have proved that," she said. "And if it keeps people from
getting sick, gets needles off the streets, prevents overdoses and all
that scary stuff, then let's go for it."