Plans to study supervised injection site for Greater Sudbury move forward

There are plans to find out whether Greater Sudburywould benefit from a safe drug injection site.

Sudbury's Community Drug Strategy group has been given the green light by the city to start applying for funding to find out whether one of the controversial harm-reduction sites would help to keep drug users in Sudbury safe.

The essential idea of supervised injection sites is that the negative consequences of drug use including infection,overdose and deathcan be mitigated.

Most councillorswho heard the pitch at the community services committee meeting on Monday were on board but not everyone.

"I have a lot of reservations about this," said Ward 5 councillor Robert Kirwan.

"We're providing a place where people can do something and that they would get arrested for if they were doing it anywhere else."

Kirwan was the only councillor who votedagainst theresolution to encourage the Community Drug Strategy to seek out funding for the feasibility study,estimated to cost between $150 thousand and $200 thousand.

Thefunding would come from the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care or the North East Local Health Integration Network.

'This is happening all throughout our community'

Kirwan raised concerns about young people having access to the services, and where such a site would be located.

"I think what this is going to do is cause a lot of stress and anxiety in the community," he said.

But Ward 7 councillor Mike Jakubo said a supervised injection site could help the city to be part of a province-wide strategy to address the ongoing opioid crisis.

"This is happening all throughout our community," Jakubo said. "Whether we like to admit it or not, it's happening."

Councillor Al Sizer, who represents Ward 8, also supportsthe feasibility study.

"It'll be be very interesting to see how effective this site will be in a population of our size, and how much need there is for it."

The study is not a guarantee that Greater Sudbury will ever get a supervised injection site.