Safe injection site rule changes will help address 'overdose crisis,' Calgary group says
Ottawa changes laws to make safe injection sites easier to open
A Calgary group that supports people with HIV and hepatitis C is applauding legislative changes announced by the federal government to speed up the process for opening safe injection sites.
"I think this is really positive news and a step towards addressing the overdose crisis," said Leslie Hill, executive director of HIV Community Link, which does prevention and education work in Calgary, Brooks and Medicine Hat.
"The rise in overdose deaths in Calgary has really brought this to the forefront in our community and created a lot of will to move forward with it," Hill said.
Currently, the Respect for Communities Act, introduced in 2015, requires 26 criteria to be met before the federal government can begin considering a new safe injection site — or "safe consumption site," as they are called by the federal government.
The 26 application criteria will be repealed entirely, Health Minister Jane Philpott announced on Monday.
Bill C-37 would instead require those wishing to set up a safe injection site to meet five benchmarks.
The first benchmark is demonstrating the need for such a site to exist.
"In Calgary, we're at the first step of their requirement," Hill said.
HIV Community Link is working with other agencies to decide what should be done for safe drug injection sites in the province.
The Alberta government has set aside a $500,000 grant to assess the need in Calgary and other areas of Alberta.
"What happens after that is a result of that needs assessment process, but I anticipate this will speed up implementation," Hill said.
- MORE CALGARY NEWS | 60 medically assisted deaths granted in Alberta since February, AHS says
- MORE CALGARY NEWS | Suspects in road rage attack on Calgary mother elude police