Decision close on Sandy Hill supervised injection site

Health Canada’s final decision on whether or not a supervised injection site can open at the Sandy Hill Community Health Centre could be coming any day.

According to the Health Canada website, the proposal has completed all five of the required application steps and has now reached the decision stage.

Rob Boyd, Oasis program director at the centre told Metro News he was notified by the department Wednesday they had completed the application to the satisfaction of Health Canada and their case would now be forwarded for a final decision.

“It’s kind of like waiting for a baby now,” Boyd said, adding that he is pleased that the project has reached the final stage of the process and relieved that there is nothing further they have to do. “It’s been such a long journey for us.”

The plans for the supervised injection site started five years ago, Boyd said, and the need for the site is high.

Last month, there were at least 134 people admitted to an emergency room for a suspected overdose.

Section 56 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Acts allows the Minister of Health to issues exemptions to the act in the public interest.

On Thursday, Rebecca Gilman, spokesperson for Health Canada, could not provide a timeline of when the final decision will be made.

By Alex Abdelwahab
Source: Metro News