Potential injection sites get mixed reactions
Welcoming, resistance, even confusion over proposed downtown locations
The disclosure of two specific downtown Windsor addresses as the potential location for a safe injection site — now called a consumption and treatment services (CTS) facility — has at least one person in the neighbourhood confused.
“What is that? I don't understand,” said Amir Mohammad, who runs the Family Furniture and Bike Shop at 628 Goyeau St. — one of the announced addresses.
An Afghanistan immigrant with only a conversational grasp of English, Mohammad said his business has been a tenant of the property at 628 Goyeau St. for the past six years.
He has no knowledge of drug issues or public health plans for the location. “Why give my address?” Mohammad asked.
But the property owner, Lucas Tourangeau, said he has been in discussion with public health partners for around two months, and he's in full support of the initiative.
“They've been keeping me posted on the entire process,” Tourangeau said. “I think Windsor is definitely at a point where it needs this service. This area, especially.”
Tourangeau said that if his property is selected, the CTS facility would become the new lessee of his storefront space, which would undergo renovation.
“(Amir) doesn't want to continue his store. We've spoken about that,” Tourangeau said. “But if this all goes through, it won't begin until next year.”
On Thursday night, public health officials announced 628 Goyeau St. and 101 Wyandotte St. East as the two possible locations for a proposed CTS facility.
The plan is for one of the two addresses to become a controlled environment where people addicted to intravenous drugs will be able to inject them under supervision, in order to avoid overdose cases and drug-related fatalities.
Launched in 2018, the controversial “harm reduction” initiative is now seeking site-specific community feedback: Members of the public can offer comment on which address should be selected via an online survey at wecoss.ca/cts.
According to the Windsor-essex County Health Unit and other project partners, the two locations were determined through a meticulous consultation process with community-sensitive criteria.
Tourangeau said he knows all too well that the area of the two addresses is prone to drug users: “Unfortunately, I've found myself cleaning up used hypodermic needles all around the parking lot,” he said.
Tourangeau believes a CTS facility would make the area safer. “I understand (the controversy). Obviously, it's something that everyone is going to have their own opinion on... It's my opinion that whatever we're doing currently, clearly isn't working.”
But others are not so certain the proposed site is the solution.
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens — who has previously said he does not support the initiative — responded to the announcement by saying downtown renewal is a top priority.
“We need to hear from residents and businesses in the core who will be directly impacted by the potential for safe injection sites in this neighbourhood,” the mayor said in a statement on Friday.
“With everything that small businesses have faced this past year, just as we are on the cusp of safely reopening — I'm just not sure that this is their No. 1 priority.”
Former chief of Windsor police Al Frederick was another past opponent of the project. Current WPS Chief Pam Mizuno said police will continue to work closely with community partners on addiction and substance abuse issues, “including the opioid crisis.”
“If a supervised consumption and treatment services facility site is permitted in our area, the Windsor Police Service will factor that in as a part of both daily operations and our overall community safety strategy,” the chief said.
Health unit representatives have said they expect the current survey process to be completed in August, after which a decision will be made on which of the two addresses will be developed.
Following that, the plan will require approval from Windsor city council, Health Canada and the provincial Ministry of Health.
Dr. Wajid Ahmed of the WECHU said he believes it is vital for the community to understand the CTS facility will be an important tool “to fight against the opioid epidemic that we are seeing.”
“Sometimes people think that (this approach) is encouraging (drug user) behaviour,” Ahmed said. “It's not. It's (part of ) the range of tools that we always talk about.”
A CTS facility is meant for people who are not ready — whether due to medical reasons, mental health reasons, or other reasons — to end their addiction, Ahmed said.
“This is an area where we will bring in all these services together to help these people. We will make sure that they have access to all the treatments and support that they need.”
As the region's Medical Officer of Health, Ahmed said he fully supports the initiative.
It's something that everyone is going to have their own opinion on... It's my opinion that whatever we're doing currently, clearly isn't working.