Safe injection site facing little opposition: AIDS Saskatoon

No one showed up for the first in a series of open houses on a proposal for a safe injection site in Saskatoon.

AIDS Saskatoon executive director Jason Mercredi was on hand Wednesday evening at what turned out to be an empty Station 20 West.

He said muted opposition to plans to set up a supervised facility for drug users near St. Paul’s Hospital at 1516 20th St. W. has been a pleasant surprise so far.

“Predominantly it’s been very supportive — surprisingly supportive,” he said of a door-knocking campaign that has seen AIDS Saskatoon canvass some 200 homes in the area around the proposed site.

“We’ve only had about five people say they’re strongly opposed.”

Mercredi stressed they’re still taking every voiced concern seriously.

He said opposition has been based on two main issues: concerns around stray needles and complaints that safe injection sites simply enable drug users.

Mercredi noted Saskatoon’s planned facility would supply clean needles and then require users to dispose of them before leaving. He said there were also plans for daily “needle patrols” to ensure the community is safe.

“Every morning our plan is to hit the street fronts and the alleyways,” he said. “And then we’ll have needle patrollers all throughout the summer.”

Mercredi said he’s had a consistent response to concerns around enabling illegal drug users.

“They’re going to use their drugs no matter what,” he said.

He said the supervised injection site would also have an outreach team to encourage addicts to seek treatment.

“With these types of facilities you have a much better chance of talking them into getting care, because right now they’re just in gang-controlled houses.”

AIDS Saskatoon has three more open house nights coming up in the next few weeks, and they’ve set up information sessions for seniors’ homes in the area around the proposed site.