Supervised consumption site could open within months with government approval: WECHU

Pending government approval, the supervised consumption and treatment site in Windsor could be ready to open in as soon as a few months, according to the CEO of the public health unit.

The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) is working with Health Canada and Ontario's Ministry of Health to secure approval and funding to operate the site,Nicole Dupuis said Thursday during a media briefing.

WECHU's applications are currently under review, she said.

Meanwhile, the futurelocation of the site, 101 Wyandotte St. E. in downtown Windsor, is under construction in preparation.

"I can't give you an exact date, but I would hope within the next few months we would seethe ability to open it," she said.

The project is years in the works, and the potential opening of the site comes as theoverdose crisis continues in Windsor-Essex.

So far this year, there have been six public alerts issued over high numbers of overdoses and emergency room visits related to opioids.

In 2021, 67 confirmed deaths from opioids were recorded inWindsor-Essex, according to Ontario Health data.