Largest supervised injection site on Vancouver Island opens in Victoria

Island Health openedits largest supervised injection site on Monday.

The site at 941 Pandora Ave. in Victoria, beside the drop-in centreOur Place, offers 10 consumption booths, a waiting/reception area, post-use areas and rooms for counselling and medical help.

B.C.'s minister of mental health and addictions says the site is necessaryto combat the overdose crisis in the city.

"Supervised consumption sites save lives," said Judy Darcyin a release.

"These sites help connect people to the supports they need and get them on their pathway to hope."

The site received approval from Health Canada in August 2017 but hasbeen sought for a decade.

• Health Canada approves supervised injection site for Victoria

It was modelledafter Insite in Vancouver, the first supervised injection site in the country.

Operating hours at the site are 6:30 a.m.-8 p.m., seven days a week,including statutory holidays.

Island Health clinical staff and paramedicswill be on site to support staff.

• Are you experienced? Peer counsellors wanted for Victoria drug consumption site

Victoria has the third highest rate of drug overdose deaths in the province. On average, more than four people in B.C. die every day from an overdose.

Island Health says it has nine supervised consumption and overdose prevention sites, which have been visited 121,000 times.

The authority says there have been 682 overdoses at the sites, but no deaths.