The new rules introduced by the federal government Thursday as part of what it's calling The Respect for Communities Act will make it harder for health care activists to open more supervised injection sites in this country.
What the federal government was unable to do at the Supreme Court of Canada in 2011 to shut down InSite on East Hastings - Canada's only supervised injection site available to the general public in Vancouver and the proliferation of such institutions across the country- it is now attempting to do with this act.
Reading through the initial press release from the Tory Minister of Health Leona Aglukkaq, it's clear Ottawa is continuing an attack that willfully ignores the mountain of scientific evidence based on 49 peer-reviewed papers published in scientific journals.
That evidence shows undeniable health benefits to both injection drug users and their communities that have resulted from InSite's presence in the Downtown Eastside over the past decade.
The federal health minister says "our government believes that creating a location for sanctioned use of drugs obtained from illicit sources has the potential for great harm in communities." But the facts tell a different story in our city.
Because injection drug users have a supervised place to shoot up where they come in contact with health care professionals, there has been an increasing number of referrals to health and social programs. There has also been a reduction in overdose fatalities; a reduction in the transmission of blood-borne infections like HIV and Hepatitis C; a reduction of injection-related infections. And, the police will tell you, a reduction in public disorder.
As well, obviously, there has been a reduction in health care costs.
InSite legally exists because of a special exemption from Ottawa so they can have illicit drugs on the premises. The Supreme Court ruling in 2011 said that failure to grant that exemption was a violation of Section 7 of the Charter of Rights that guarantees life, liberty and the security of the person. In other words, refusal to grant an exemption would endanger people's lives.
Ottawa continues to take the opposite view in The Respect for Communities Act. And the minister is clear that her government intends to "raise the bar" for applicants.
What they are asking for before an application for an exemption can even be "considered" is a demonstration of support from local law enforcement, municipal leaders, public health officials and provincial or territorial ministers for health.
The applicant would also have to include documentation showing that treatment options are available for those dealing with addiction. As far as Vancouver's InSite goes, it has had and continues to have support from all those areas. But what is now unknown is just how high the bar will be set by Ottawa in terms of the support. Would it require every elected official, every member of a community and every regional police force to sign on, for example?
And even then, applications could be rejected once considered.
The irony here, and one that Dr. Evan Wood with the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS points out, is this: There are hundreds of needle exchanges in Canada supported by the federal government. These collect used needles and give out clean ones. Surely the government doesn't think this is a service that only meets the needs of diabetics.
So while it is willing to approve a service that allows addicts to shoot up in back alleys, unsupervised and often using water from puddles in their syringes, it's hesitant to approve a much more controlled environment.
In supervised sites, the user cannot take needles out into the street. They must fix in the presence of a health care professional. They must deal with drug counsellors who will engage them and encourage them to move on to treatment. And they must conduct themselves in an orderly fashion.
For some ideological reason that defies science and experience, Stephen Harper's government would rather support a system that puts people's lives at greater risk and is more damaging and costly to our communities.
Watch for this one to end up in court.
