Rick Sproule from the Drug Users Advocacy League interviewed on CBC Ottawa Morning with Robyn Bresnahan about the call from researchers & members of the public for the creation of supervised drug consumption sites in Ottawa.
Thanks to everyone who was able to make it to our event this evening, to Dr. Bayoumi and Dr. Strike for presenting the TOSCA evidence in support of supervised consumption sites in Ottawa, and to Tarah and Rick for sharing their insights and stories.
We started the evening with this excellent video - take a look to see how Insite serves the health care needs of people who use drugs in Vancouver, and benefits the entire community.
Does Ottawa need supervised drug consumption facilities?
This question was the focus of the Toronto and Ottawa Supervised Consumption Assessment, a four-year scientific study conducted by researchers from St. Michael's Hospital, who concluded that such sites would improve the health among drug users in Ottawa and could also reduce public drug use and save money for the health system.
As part of Ottawa's AIDS Awareness Week, researchers from the TOSCA study will present their findings to the community on November 29 at 6pm at the main branch of the Ottawa Public Library.
Hosted by the Campaign for Safer Consumption Sites in Ottawa, the event will also feature speakers from Ottawa's Youth Services Bureau and the Drug Users Advocacy League (DUAL). A panel discussion will follow.
Addiction expert Dr. Gabor Maté makes a powerful case for harm reduction practices and the important role of supervised consumption sites as a health service for people who use drugs.
Dr. Maté is a physician at the Portland Hotel on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Check out his amazing book, In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts - it will challenge everything you thought you knew about addiction.
September 30th 2012 marks the one year anniversary of the Supreme Court of Canada’s landmark decision stating that InSite, Vancouver’s supervised consumption site, could not be closed by the federal government. In their 2011 ruling, the Supreme Court noted "the experiment has proven successful. InSite has saved lives and improved health without increasing the incidence of drug use and crime in the surrounding area." A year later Ottawa community members are still calling for the city to implement supervised consumption sites as part of an effective strategy to address substance use issues facing the community.
Former drug users and the families and friends of the many Ottawans lost to drug overdoses renewed calls for a safe injection site in the city Friday during International Overdose Awareness Day.
“As we are seeing more people turn to heroin, my concern is that these overdoses could increase,” said Dr. Lynne Leonard, a social epidemiologist and Research Scientist in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Ottawa.
“By providing a supervised injection site we would reduce the personal risk and community costs of drug use,” she said.
At today's Overdose Awareness Day event at the Human Rights Memorial in Ottawa, Sean and Gilles of DUAL presented the following list of demands on behalf of people who use drugs in Ottawa. We at CSCS Ottawa fully support these demands, and call on municipal, provincial, and federal governments to take action now to help prevent further unnecessary overdose deaths.
This Friday is Overdose Awareness Day. We invite you to join us in Ottawa at the Human Rights Monument on Elgin St from 11:30am-12:30pm to show your support.
On August 31 thousands of people worldwide will stand beside the friends and families of fatal overdose victims to reflect on their losses. The event intends to reinforce the idea that no-one need feel shame or disgrace at the death of someone from drug overdose.
Thank you to everyone who participated in the Prisoners’ Justice Day Ottawa community event yesterday, and to those who couldn’t join us but who stand in solidarity with prisoners across Canada in demanding respect for the human rights of people in the correctional system.
A big thanks to our excellent speakers and contributors, to our fellow Ottawa community groups who participated, and to the CSCS Ottawa volunteers for pulling it all together.
