Safe injection sites in Kitchener and Galt to be debated at regional committee

Regional councillors will continue to discuss the possibility of having safe injection sites in the region during a community services committee Tuesday morning.

Regional staff are looking at results and recommendations from the first phase a supervised injection services feasibility study, which interviewed people including 146 people who inject drugs, service providers and focus groups in an online survey.

Overall, there is "substantial support" for a supervised injection site, the staff report said.

Downtown Kitchener and Galt were noted as two potential locations for a supervised injection site.

Key findings

Key findings of the study showed that 4,000 people in Waterloo region inject drugs, almost half on a daily basis, most often in downtown Kitchener and in Galt city centre or south Galt.

The majority of individuals who inject drugs said they would use a supervised injection site if it were available in Waterloo region. 

The report also noted there is community concerns over safety of those using the supervised injection site and the community.

Some also supported the idea of supervised injection sites, but "concerns were raised about where sites would be located and the potential impacts on the surrounding community, including safety of children and dependents, property values, drug trafficking and the effect on business."