Ontario Has No Plans for Safe Injection Sites

Ontario has no plans to fund a supervised injection facility (SIF), the province’s health minister said Wednesday.

“At this point it’s not something we’re considering,” said Deb Matthews. “There are no applications or recommendations on them at this moment.”

Researchers have been investigating whether Toronto could benefit from one or more SIFs, and if so, whether the intervention should be fixed or mobile, stand-alone or part of another facility. Preliminary study data obtained by the Toronto Star found that SIFs in Toronto would be cost-effective, and that the city could host up to three. The long-delayed final report is expected early next year.

Asked if she opposes SIFs, Matthews said, “I think it’s just too early to tell.”

The only SIF in Canada, Insite, is located in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. The British Columbia Ministry of Health Services provides its operational funding. About 90 SIFs operate worldwide, mostly in Europe. Their object is to cut infectious diseases spread through the sharing of injection equipment, as well as overdose deaths.

One of the biggest obstacles facing the establishment of SIFs in Toronto is backlash among people not wanting them in their neighborhood, said Holly Kramer, coordinator of the Toronto Harm Reduction Task Force. While SIFs often are misunderstood and provoke fear, they act as a gateway to treatment for some of the most vulnerable citizens, Kramer said: “In my mind, they are medical clinics.”

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.

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