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Opioid crisis: City council OKs funds for safe injection site study

Study would examine whether a site would ease impact of opioid crisis
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Despite some opposition, city councillors voted to fund $60,000 of an $80,000 feasibility study Monday.

As part of the city's response to the opioid crisis, the study will decide whether the city would benefit from opening a safe injection site for addicts. The remaining cost would be covered by other community organizations that are part of the Community Drug Strategy (CDS).

The Sudbury's CDS has representatives from more than 25 community partners, including health, social services, education, police, justice and emergency services.

While the Doug Ford government has frozen provincial money for the sites while it conducts a review, a staff report on the plan says a new policy is emerging that includes “further monitoring, reporting, and community consultation with more access to social services."

The feasibility study would be required as part of a funding application to the province, should the CDS group decide a safe injection site is needed.

But Ward 5 Coun. Bob Kirwan said when council voted to support the study, it had no intention of paying for it.

“Instead of us endorsing the feasibility study, we're being asked to pay for 75 per cent of it,” Kirwan said. “That's $60,000 that could be put to other uses … What's the next step? Are we going to be asked to pay for the whole program?”

Tyler Campbell, the city's director of social services, said the North East LHIN and the Canadian Mental Health Association are paying the $20,000. The rest was to come from provincial grants, but the Ministry of Health has said it won't fund feasibility studies. But if they approve the injection site, it will fund operating costs.

“But it's up to the local community to move that forward,” Campbell said.

Ward 9 Coun. Fern Cormier said $60,000 seems reasonable compared to the cost the opioid crisis is taking.

“The question becomes, what is a life worth?” Cormier said. “If you're talking to a mother who lost a child to addiction? You can't put a price on that.

“(A safe injection site) is not going to change the world overnight, but it's a start. For a $60,000 investment, I think it's worth it.”

And Ward 6 Coun. Rene Lapierre said safe injection sites also help frontline workers who respond to emergency calls.

“They find these people who have overdosed, even dead,” Lapierre said.

That adds a great deal of stress, and can even lead to mental health challenges, he said.

In the end, approval for the funding passed easily.


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Darren MacDonald

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