There is “substantial support” for establishing supervised injection sites in Waterloo Region, according to a new report going before regional councillors this week.

Last summer, councillors ordered a feasibility study on bringing one or more supervised injection sites to the region. The new report contains the results of that study.

Supervised injection sites are facilities which dispense needles to drug users, give them a clean space in which to inject themselves, and offer information about public health and other social services.

According to Ontario’s Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, supervised injection sites reduce the number of overdose deaths in a community, increase the number of people using drug treatment programs, and lead to lower HIV and hepatitis C transmission rates.

Based on statistics from the region’s existing needle program, it is believed that approximately 4,000 people in Waterloo Region inject themselves with illegal drugs.

Nearly 150 of those 4,000 people were surveyed as part of the feasibility study.

Almost half of them reported that they injected themselves on a daily basis. Almost 40 per cent said they had accidentally overdosed on at least one occasion. Most respondents said they would use a supervised injection site for most or all of their injections.

The study also included a community survey about supervised injection sites. It found a number of concerns about the safety of people using the sites, as well as people living near them.

Public health authorities recommend strongly that the region operate multiple safe injection sites, to eliminate the possibility of one area being stigmatized. They specifically suggest putting one in downtown Kitchener and another in the Galt core – the two areas where drug users report injecting themselves most frequently – and having a third that could be mobile.

A public meeting will likely take place in March so politicians can hear residents’ thoughts on whether the region should move ahead with pursuing supervised injection sites.

Councillors will vote Tuesday on whether to move ahead with the process. A vote in favour would include authorizing the March public meeting and the first stages of work to identify specific locations that could house safe injection sites.

While final numbers are not available, it is suspected that there were 71 overdose deaths in Waterloo Region in 2017.

The region’s paramedics handled 795 opioid-related calls last year, up significantly from 197 two years earlier.