The City of Greater Sudbury has the unenviable distinction of having the highest rate of opioid-induced deaths in the entire province. The opioid crisis is out of control and action is needed immediately. There is strong support for a supervised consumption site in the downtown area, especially from Public Health Sudbury & Districts and the Greater Sudbury Police Services through the Community Drug Strategy.
But despite the best efforts of everyone involved, including the support of city council and staff, it has become evident that finding a downtown location that satisfies the requirements for approval from the upper levels of government is going to be challenging and time consuming.
Because of the urgent needs of vulnerable people who are dealing with drug addictions in Greater Sudbury today, we simply cannot wait for the approval process to work its way through the system before taking some kind of action.
That is why I think it is time for city council to provide our “unofficial” support for the Sudbury Temporary Overdose Prevention Society (STOPS), the group behind the city’s unsanctioned supervised consumption sites that keeps popping up around the city.
Instead of shutting down the volunteers who are providing some measure of service to help protect drug users, we need to find a suitable central location that will allow easy access for people in need and allow STOPS to operate on an “unsanctioned basis” until we find and build a permanent site that meets the provincial and federal requirements.
It may take up to two years before we have an approved supervised consumption site in operation and we simply cannot wait that long before doing something to solve the current crisis.
Once we find a temporary location, city council should direct staff to provide portable buildings or construction trailers so that the STOPS volunteers no longer have to operate from under a tent and deal with the weather. We can provide portable washrooms, sitting areas, and make other support services available to the volunteers who can encourage the homeless and most vulnerable individuals to access the wide range of community support services in the city.
In the meantime, Dr. Penny Sutcliffe, the region’s medical officer of health, stated that we can apply to the federal government for an exemption to allow the site to operate based on the “urgent health need” in our municipality.
But whether we receive the exemption or not, we should still allow the unsanctioned operation to continue because of the benefit they are providing to the people who are at risk from the use of opioids.
While it may not necessarily be appropriate for the city to provide direct funding to the volunteers, we can at least provide accommodation and support services that will assist the volunteers and the people who access the services. It is the least we can do.
The time has come to stop chasing STOPS away every time they set up their tents and find them a place that will be satisfactory for the time being and allow them to operate unimpeded.
We all know that we have an opioid crisis. We can try to identify the social determinants of health that need to be addressed so that we avoid the crisis in the future. But studies, reports and plans won’t help the people who are overdosing and dying today.
They need us to take action to deal with their current situation. They cannot wait. This may not be the best solution, but until a better one comes along, we must be prepared to do what is right for the people who need us today.
City council will be discussing this matter again on June 15. I am going to encourage my fellow councillors to select a site that we can live with for now, and provide the Sudbury Temporary Overdose Prevention Society volunteers with whatever they need to help them service the needs of people who are dealing with opioid addictions.
We don’t need to sanction their operations, but at least we can stay out of their way and allow them to do what they do best.
Robert Kirwan is the city councillor for Ward 5.
