MP hosts impassioned debate over supervised injection sites in southwest
Heated debate erupted in the gymnasium at Dr. Margaret-Ann Armour School Saturday as residents of Edmonton-Riverbend argued over whether their suburban community would ever welcome supervised injection sites.
“It was pretty clear that a lot of people weren’t supportive of safe injection sites coming into suburban areas, which we’ve been hearing through letters to the office and phone calls,” said Matt Jeneroux, MP for Edmonton-Riverbend.
Supervised injection sites — where intravenous drug users can inject under the supervision of medical professionals as a way to reduce overdose deaths — are approved for the Royal Alexandra Hospital, the Boyle McCauley Health Centre, Boyle Street Community Services and the George Spady Society.
The sites faced vocal opposition from members of surrounding communities who thought the concentration of services put too much of a burden on already stigmatized communities, including Boyle Street and Central McDougall.
Those opposed to the sites felt as if there was not enough consultation with members of those communities before the sites were approved and have argued that the majority of overdose deaths come from outside of those communities, meaning sites should be spread more evenly throughout the city to be effective.
Warren Champion, past president of Central McDougall Community League, said by concentrating these sites in the downtown core, officials are turning their backs on the issue of drug overdoses in suburban neighbourhoods.
“Basically, you’re on your own,” said Champion. “You will continue to die.”
Though there is no current plan to put a safe injection site anywhere within the ward’s boundaries, the potential threat from those interested in addressing addiction issues in the suburbs inspired Jeneroux and members of the Calling CC community advocacy group to gather community members for a forum on the subject while circulating a petition that would extend mandatory public consultation periods — currently between 45 and 90 days once the federal health minister receives an application — to avoid past mistakes.
“We can extend it and give people, like the people who showed up today, more of an opportunity to have their voices heard,” Jeneroux said.
While many gathered Saturday expressed feeling “betrayed” and “insulted” by past consultation processes and ignored petitions, others were concerned about the perceived risk associated with having safe injection sites in their suburban communities, including fears over increased criminality and encouraging illegal drug use.
Staff Sgt. Kevin Clague, of the Edmonton police southwest division, said the negative consequences of unaddressed addictions issues are already playing out on suburban streets, saying he personally has responded to at least a dozen overdose calls in the last year.
Heather Stanchfield, a nurse who says she has worked on the “front lines” of the issue at a supervised injection site in Vancouver, did her best to assuage some of their fears which she believes stem more from a lack of information on the subject rather than real risk to the community.
She said supervised injection sites are one tool in a suite of services that need to be offered to create a pathway out of addiction, and having those wraparound services already in place was a big part of why Edmonton’s approved supervised injection sites are where they are. The current model of having ambulance crews racing around the city resuscitating overdosing patients is expensive and ineffective, she said, and supervised injection sites can be a first step to accessing long-term services.
“The current methodology that we have isn’t getting to the core of addictions for people, it’s not giving people larger wraparound services and referrals, it’s simply saving their lives and letting them go back. It’s a very expensive way to provide emergency care,” said Stanchfield.