‘MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH’
Overdose prevention site planned
A local addiction awareness advocate said he plans to open an overdose prevention site in Windsor, despite warnings that police won’t tolerate anything deemed illegal. “It’s 100 per cent,” said Brandon Bailey, a recovering addict and leader of WE Recovery on Monday. “We will have one in Windsor. I don’t have an exact date, but it will be in early November.” He expressed frustration by a lack of action by the Ontario government to open more overdose prevention sites in the province — and recently putting the program on hold pending further study. Overdose prevention sites allow drug users to inject in front of professional health-care workers who can apply first aid in the event of an overdose. The sites also make available information to help users receive treatment to address their addictions.
An open letter signed by 18 health-care leaders across the province — including Rita Taillefer, the executive director of the Windsor Essex Community Health Centre — was sent Friday to Ontario’s health minister Christine Elliott. The letter urges her to act quickly on opening more overdose prevention sites cited as “our best chance at fighting ” the overdose crisis. “Since supervised consumption services and overdose prevention sites began opening in mid-2017, they’ve already saved 917 lives by reversing overdoses,” the letter states. “With 1,400 lives lost from opioid overdoses in Ontario since the beginning of 2017, we are starting to make a significant difference. That’s 917 families who didn’t receive the worst news possible. That’s 917 people who still have a chance to build a better life.” On Monday, groups advocating for the sites planted rows of crosses on the grounds of Ontario’s legislature in Toronto to represent those who died of overdoses. Elliott’s office did not respond to inquiries Monday by the Star. Bailey hopes the letter will make a difference. “But I don’t think the Conservative government is as responsive on this as we would want them to be,” he said.
As drug overdose problems continue to escalate in Windsor, the time is right to open an unsanctioned safe injection site, he said. “This is a matter of life and death,” said Bailey by phone from Edmonton, where he was attending a federal policy conference on drug use. “There is no ifs or ands about Windsor being in a state of emergency on this and we can’t wait any longer.”
But Windsor police Chief Al Frederick on Monday made it clear that any attempt by Bailey or others to open a local unsanctioned safe injection or overdose prevention site will not be tolerated. “I’ve said it before — if people inside are ingesting drugs they are contravening the law,” he said. “If people at the site are aiding with that in any way, they are trafficking a drug and they will be treated as such by Windsor police.” Bailey indicated he was hopeful to sit down formally in the next week or two with the police chief to discuss his plans for a site. “We want to work with police so people can feel safe they will not be arrested,” he said. Frederick countered: “I won’t discuss this with him. This is a criminal enterprise, in my opinion. There are still a lot of options open to us (on the drug overdose issue), but this would be criminal behaviour and it will not be tolerated.” Bailey has hinted for months he would pursue opening an unsanctioned overdose prevention site, but said Monday he is now more determined after discussing what it takes with experts and leaders who have opened similar sites in cities such as Toronto, Vancouver and Edmonton.
“They call them overdose prevention sites, but in reality they are a death prevention sites,” he said. “Everybody involved would be a volunteer because there is no funding. We will set this up properly. There will be nurses or qualified health-care professionals involved. We will release that information soon.”
Bailey has a preferred location in mind, but would only say Monday it will be where there is already frequent drug use and addicts. “We will bring the site to them,” he said.
“If we don’t do this, you are just going to have more overdoses and death in homes, alleys and back yards.”