Put on your toques and lace up your skates, we're taking our campaign to the world's longest skating rink!
On February 16th and 17th, we need volunteers to gather signatures in support of supervised consumption sites in Ottawa. We'll be going where the action is this time of year - Winterlude!
In an interview on CBC Ottawa Morning, Sean LeBlanc of the Drug Users Advocacy League talks about the success and benefits of harm reduction methods, and the stigma against drug users.
"I can't be in recovery from drugs if I'm dying of HIV or of overdose... I'm proud to see value in everybody's life, and that people do deserve second chances."
► Click to play
You can "sign out" Sean from the Ottawa Public Library Main Branch on Saturday, Jan. 26 as part of the Human Library program.
Read more about Human Library - Drug User Book
The Insite decision and the case for supervised consumption facilities in Ottawa
Submitted by Greg on January 23, 2013
Professor Suzanne Bouclin of the Ottawa University Faculty of Law and Priyanka Vittal, a law student & CSCS volunteer, have co-authored a paper on the 2011 Supreme Court decision in favour of Insite remaining open, and what the decision means for the possibility of similar sites opening in Ottawa. The article is available in the December issue of the Canadian Journal of Poverty Law, and offers a valuable analysis of the legal aspects of this issue.
On September 29, 2011, the Supreme Court of Canada unanimously ruled to allow a safer supervised consumption facility (SCF) to remain open under a section 56 exemption of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. The decision has lent additional legitimacy to SCFs as a necessary health care service that is part of a comprehensive and holistic drug and addiction strategy. In part one of this comment, we describe the context in which Insite emerged in Vancouver, British Columbia. In part two, we discuss the legal mobilization that led to the Supreme Court decision and the framework under which Insite currently operates. In part three, we explore the decision’s implications for another jurisdiction – Ottawa, Ontario.
Group hopes for safe drug consumption site in Ottawa
January 21, 2013
On the busy streets of the ByWard Market, people are always in a rush to get where they need to be. Nobody grants the man sitting on the sidewalk, holding an empty cup, any attention.
Though he is asking for money, he does not raise his eyes to meet anyone. His clothes are torn, his skin dirtied from nights of sleeping on the streets. Most passersby also avert their eyes of the man standing behind him. Christopher Dalton is here to lend his voice to the voiceless.
Read more about Group hopes for safe drug consumption site in Ottawa
Insite - Not just injecting, but connecting
Submitted by Greg on January 18, 2013
This video about Insite, created by the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union, is an amazing look at the program, the people, and the vital place it holds in the community. Supervised consumption sites are about so much more than using drugs - they're also about compassionate health care, forming respectful connections with people, and providing help when it's needed.
Read more about Insite - Not just injecting, but connecting
What can the Netherlands and Germany teach Ottawa about supervised drug consumption rooms and the treatment of drug addicts?
That’s the question representatives from the Somerset West Community Health Centre recently tried to answer during a fact-finding trip to Europe.
Joining staff and board members from the Sandy Hill Community Health Centre, our team met with government officials and harm reduction experts, as well as frontline workers and engaged community members who live near supervised drug consumption facilities.
Read more about Harm reduction lessons from Europe
Breaking the Taboo - Thanks for joining us!
Submitted by Greg on January 17, 2013
Thank you to everyone who made it out to our movie night tonight! A big thanks to Gilles from DUAL for sharing his experience, to Chris for answering questions about the campaign, and to OPIRG for co-hosting the event.
You can sign on to the Break the Taboo campaign's call to world leaders to end the war on drugs and move towards a system based on decriminalisation, regulation, public health and education at breakingthetaboo.com.
Check out the Drug Users Advocacy League online at dualottawa.ca, and don't forget to like them on Facebook!
Read more about Breaking the Taboo - Thanks for joining us!
Work needed to increase drug users’ access to services, preliminary report findings suggest
January 17, 2013
More can be done to provide better access to prevention, harm reduction and treatment services for drug users and alcoholics, the city’s public health unit heard during a survey of community agencies and addicts.
Their feedback also suggests there’s work to be done to increase peer involvement, better integrate services with mental health and housing support, and expand work in schools. The feedback comes in an interim report on a “gap analysis” of programs and services that’s to go to the city’s board of health on Monday. A full report is expected later this year.
Read more about Work needed to increase drug users’ access to services, preliminary report findings suggest
Breaking the Taboo
Submitted by Greg on January 9, 2013
Join us on Thursday, Jan. 17 at 7pm at the Arts Court Theatre, as we present Breaking the Taboo as part of OPIRG's Resistance on Reels Film Festival!
A documentary on the failed war on drugs across the globe, Breaking the Taboo sheds light on realities of the drug war industry from the first hand experiences ranging from former offenders to former presidents. This documentary is a call to action for our leaders to improve drug policies to include decriminalization, regulation, public health and education. What will it take to end the war on drugs?
Experts and advocates want supervised injection site for Ottawa
December 3, 2012
Researchers and harm reduction advocates are calling for supervised drug injection facilities for Ottawa.
The authors of the Toronto and Ottawa Supervised Consumption Assessment (TOSCA) presented their findings during an event at the Ottawa Public Library’s main branch on Metcalfe Street on Thursday evening. The event was held in recognition of AIDS Awareness Week.
The TOSCA report, released on April 11 2012, recommended opening supervised drug injection sites in Ottawa, as well as Toronto.
Read more about Experts and advocates want supervised injection site for Ottawa
