Mr. Speaker, on September 15, 2003, North America's first government sanctioned supervised safe injection site opened in Vancouver. Funded by three levels of government, it is part of the harm reduction component of the four-pillar approach to substance use in the Vancouver agreement.
Health Canada will provide $1.5 million over four years for evaluation of this project, which will be undertaken by the B.C. Centre of Excellence in HIV/AIDS at St. Paul's Hospital. The Vancouver Health Authority will operate the site in partnership with the Portland Hotel Society, a non-profit organization with experience working with the IV drug community.
Safe injection sites in Europe and Australia have shown positive results in decreasing overdose deaths, HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C and in acting as a primary contact for users who do not normally have access to medical and social worker teams.
This project is supported by the community and the Vancouver Police, who will continue strong enforcement strategies against suppliers. This safe injection site is an historic and progressive part of good public health policy that recognizes substance abuse and addiction as a chronic debilitating illness.