Opioid problem: Cambridge working hard to find solutions

Re: Cambridge hospital is the wrong place for drug consumption site — Aug. 11

In Saturday’s opinion column, Luisa D’Amato unfairly asserted that the City of Cambridge is not taking ownership of the opioid drug problem which is impacting not only this city but the entire region and cities around the world.

When the problems around drug addiction and increased homelessness first started to appear in Cambridge and throughout the region, the City of Cambridge immediately took action by setting up a Community Outreach Task Force composed of over 40 different agencies and individuals representing various nonprofit organizations.

The task force was charged with making recommendations on everything from public safety and resource allocation to poverty, homelessness, mental health and addiction. The city also established ambassador teams of city workers to proactively clean up drug debris around the city. This included not only city property but regional roads, private property and the conservation authority lands and school board properties.

We also streamlined the reporting process, regardless of jurisdiction, to have only one point of contact and a quick response.

In terms of the proposed safe injection sites, Cambridge city council took charge by requesting both councillors Mann and Monteiro visit and research the impact of similar sites in other communities, such as Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, and to report back to council. They concluded that safe injection sites should not be placed within the downtown cores of our city.

Based on the results of their research and subsequent feedback from residents, the City of Cambridge put forward a number of considerations to the region, including the need for increased consultation and a full location analysis, as well as mitigation and evaluation planning.

Our council also instituted an interim control bylaw to prevent the establishment of sites in our downtown areas until further study under the Planning Act.

The region’s strategy does not consider the fact that over 70 per cent of the overdose deaths occur outside our core areas.

Similarly, it is unacceptable that there are over 300,000 needles per year handed out by the region’s public health unit without any thought on collection processes — needles end up in parks, streets and on our trails.

It is equally unacceptable that the effect on our local businesses, schools, and various public and private buildings has not been understood or taken into account by the region when selecting the sites.

In conclusion, the City of Cambridge has led the way in responsibly responding to ensure the long-term health and wellbeing of everyone in our city.

We continue to work extremely hard with our partners to find larger and comprehensive solutions to the troubling opioid problem and associated issues, such as affordable housing, more mental health support and timely treatment options.

At the same time, we need to find solutions that will help prevent drug abuse issues before they start. Iceland, for example, has seen excellent results in the battle of drug abuse by implementing more structured and organized activities for youth that truly engage and inspire teenagers. Doug Craig Mayor of Cambridge