London's temporary overdose prevention site to stay open

London's temporary overdose prevention site will stay open for another month, officials say.

"We're planning to continue to operate," said Chris Mackie, the Middlesex-London Health Unit's medical officer of health.

"Part of the (health) minister's announcement was that we won't shut down and that's incredibly positive."

Health Minister Christine Elliott confirmed at Queen's Park Wednesday that the site can continue to operate.

There was worry at the end of September that the facility's contract with the province was set to expire, but a last-minute, one-monthextension was granted.

That extension ended Wednesday, but the site will continue to operate because the province announced earlier this month that it would allow 21 permanent drug consumption sites to operate in the province. Two of those are to be in London.

Mackie said it's important the facility continue to care for those in London using drugs.

"If we would have had to shut down, that would have been a major break in trust with people who have already had so many times where they've fallen through the cracks and been maltreated by the system," Mackie said.

Since it opened in February, staff at the temporary overdose prevention site have reversed 40 opioid overdoses, Mackie said. There have been more than 8,300 visits to the site by more than 2,000 people, he said.