City should reach out to PCs on injection sites: health advocate

The city should reach out to Doug Ford’s incoming provincial government to emphasize the importance of supervised injection sites and other key social programs, said a leading health advocate.

“When we know who our new health minister is, I think we should make sure that some of these important social issues are brought to their attention and their opportunities for resolution and treatment,” Jeff Turnbull, medical director of Ottawa Inner City Health, said Wednesday after the Alliance to End Homelessness released its annual progress report at city hall.

Ottawa Inner City Health runs the supervised injection trailer at the Shepherds of Good Hope.

Turnbull, the former chief of staff at The Ottawa Hospital, described the profound impact of the opioid crisis. Staff at the supervised injection trailer deal with an average of four overdoses daily, he said.

“We’re just trying to keep people alive,” Turnbull told city coun- cillors and representatives from social agencies who gathered for the report’s release.

It’s unclear how the PC government will approach injection sites. Ford has expressed objection to them but has also shown a willingness to listen to experts.

“I think when the new government comes in and gets to understand many of the issues that we face on a regular basis, I’m confident that they will understand this is an important part of an overall addictions strategy,” Turnbull said. “It’s just one part, but it’s an essential part of what we’re doing.”

The Alliance’s report highlights the troubling statistics reported by the City of Ottawa in March. Emergency shelter use has increased since 2014. The number of chronically homeless families spiked between 2016 and 2017.

Deirdre Freiheit, president and CEO of the Shepherds of Good Hope, underscored the importance of having supervised injection sites in areas where they’re needed most.

“I think it’s so needed,” Freiheit said. “I think what (Ford) has said is that he’s willing to listen to some advice from people who are in the field and working with people who are struggling with issues and requiring the services, so there’s hope. I look forward to actually having those conversations.”

The Shepherds is in the middle of renovations to permanently house the supervised injection site.

Freiheit hopes to have the permanent space open in the fall.