Opioid consumption and treatments sites have been a hot-button issue in the region.
On Wednesday night, a report is going to regional council for an interim site that could open in Kitchener by the end of the summer.
The proposed site could cost about $530,000. Still, the debate about these sites is ongoing: A Cambridge group is now taking its complaints to the federal government.
“It’s going to cause harm to our businesses, our residents and be traumatic for our children,” says Connie Cody with The Voice.
She and other citizens marched outside Cambridge city hall.
Now, they’re taking a petition with hundreds of signatures to Ottawa, requesting that the federal government deny a site in the city.
“We would really like to see more rehabilitation and detox centres,” she says.
But not everyone agrees that the sites will be bad for the city. Jenny Devoe has been personally impacted by the effects of opioid use. She says a safe site will save lives.
“Why did you petition against saving lives?” she wonders. “It doesn’t matter what the problem is. You do not let people die. That, to me, is immoral.”
According to regional police, there were 11 suspected overdose deaths in May, with 39 in total so far through 2019.
The region has already submitted an application for a CTS at 150 Duke St. W. in Kitchener. According to council documents, this is a proposed interim site.
“People who use drugs deserve to have the healthcare services that they need,” says Lindsay Sprague, coordinator of Waterloo Region Integrated Drugs Strategy.
The region says the site will help prevent bloodborne illnesses and fatal overdoses, as well as guiding addicts toward treatment.
The council report notes that, if it’s approved, the interim site could be operational by the end of August.
