Safe injection site set to open Monday at Shepherds of Good Hope

Ottawa’s first 24/7 supervised injection site will open in a Lowertown trailer Monday evening.

The trailer, operated by Shepherds of Good Hope and Ottawa Inner City Health, will include eight injection bays and a lounge area. It is expected to serve between 100 and 150 drug users a day.

It will become the third supervised injection site in the city at a time of growing concern about opioid overdoses.

Ottawa Public Health opened a small two-bay location on Clarence Street in the ByWard Market in September. In August, a group of volunteers opened an unsanctioned tent in a Lowertown park. Meanwhile, renovation work has proceeded slowly on a supervised injection site at the Sandy Hill Community Health Centre. It was originally supposed to have opened in October, but that date has now been pushed back.

Ottawa Inner City Health will provide medical staffing for the site. The trailer will be located in the parking lot of Shepherds of Good Hope’s main shelter at 256 King Edward Ave.

By Elizabeth Payne
Source: Ottawa Citizen