MAYOR CONFIDENT PROVINCE WILL PAY FOR INJECTION SITE

Premier Gordon Campbell has promised his government will provide $6
million in operating funds over the next three years for a supervised
injection site in the Downtown Eastside, says Mayor Larry Campbell.

Last month, the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority told the Courier
the injection site, set to open next week, might have to be scaled
back without the funding, but the mayor says that won't be necessary.

"Let me put this to you-there'll be no scaling back of any operation,"
he said Monday.

The mayor said he received a funding commitment from the premier a
month or two ago. No formal announcement has been made because the
premier has been busy travelling to fire-ravaged areas in the
Okanagan, the mayor said.

"The premier and I have spoken on a number of occasions. He's the
ex-mayor of Vancouver and he understands the problems, and I have a
commitment from him."

The mayor said he's told the health authority about the funding, but
"obviously, I'm not a good communicator." Although he admitted the
money hasn't been secured, he says he has complete confidence that it
will be.

"I'm not concerned about it at all, in any way, shape or form."

Viviana Zanocco, spokeswoman for the health authority, has said that
if operating funds aren't available, the injection site at 135/139
East Hastings-the first of its kind in North America-will likely
operate on a "very limited scale."

The $6 million figure was arrived at by the health authority to cover
three years of operation. The money would cover rent, utilities and
salaries for nurses, counsellors and other staff, who have already
been hired.

Despite two separate requests over the last two months, the health
authority hasn't provided a detailed breakdown of the operating costs.

The site is supposed to open 18 hours a day as a scientific research
pilot project. Services include injection supervision with emergency
response for drug overdoses, injection-related first aid such as wound
care, access and referral to primary health care, addictions treatment
and mental health agencies.

The latest overdose statistics from the B.C. Coroners Service indicate
37 people in Vancouver died from drug-related causes from January to
August-two more than the same period last year.

Despite the slight increase, drug deaths overall are on a sharp
decline. In 1998, 191 people died of overdoses in Vancouver, down to
49 in 2002.

Cocaine and heroin use are still heavy, however. Of the 525 people
deaths in that five-year period, 338 involved cocaine and 384 were
connected to heroin or a combination of the two.

As the mayor-the province's former chief coroner-pointed out, overdose
deaths are usually caused by a combination of drugs, and often alcohol
abuse as well.

"It's rare that you would see a pure cocaine overdose, or that you
would see a pure heroin overdose. It almost always involves alcohol,
alcohol-heroin, alcohol-heroin-cocaine, heroin-cocaine, and sometimes
prescription drugs."

Despite the drop in overdose deaths, Campbell believes the site is
needed in the city, noting 37 deaths already this year is too many.

"If we don't need one, would someone like to tell that to the 37
families?"

During last fall's election campaign, Campbell promised an injection
site would open Jan. 1. That was pushed back several times, and the
mayor admits he learned a thing or two about promises.

"I learned that there might be a difference between expectations and
reality," he said. "It may have taken me nine months, but it's done.
Had we not been elected, I don't think it would have been done."