Mayors of Kelowna and Kamloops want supervised injection sites to fight drug crisis

Both the mayors of Kelowna and Kamloops support a supervised injection site in their respective cities, saying something has to be done to tackle the epidemic drug crisis in the province.

They recently attended an information briefing with Interior Health, which has been looking into setting up a supervised injection site in the region.

Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran says there's no doubt it's needed.

"People are dying, and they're dying on our streets. This is perhaps an opportunity for them to use and be closer to help if they need it.

Kamloops Mayor Peter Milobar agrees.

"The reality of the situation is that whether we like it or not, we have people consuming already and they're using back alleys or dangerous areas," said Mayor Peter Milobar. "Something needs to be done."

Possible community backlash

But in an interview on CBC's Daybreak South, both mayors agreed, significant challenges remain.

For one, councils for both cities still need to look at Interior Health's plans.

"They need to make sure there's proper protocol and consultation done with various levels of stakeholders before anything moves forward," said Basran.

"Obviously neighbourhoods would have a bit of apprehension depending on where you set up the site — I don't think anyone would like to see their neighbourhood characterized as the Downtown Eastside," said Milobar.

A supervised injection site in a 'spread-out interior city' might also look different from the existing sites in Downtown Vancouver or Toronto which have highly concentrated groups of drug users, he added.

However, Milobar said he's received little communication from the public over the plans "in spite of significant media coverage over the last couple of weeks".

Funding for one site only

Basran said another challenge is how many resources Interior Health has — currently it has funding for one supervised injection site, either in Kelowna or Kamloops.

"I'm not going to fight Mayor Milobar over it, but it's my hope that we both end up with a facility or a consumption site, because it sounds like we both need it."

Even as the province declared a state of emergency because of the massive increase in overdose deaths, Kelowna and Kamloops have already seen triple the number of overdose deaths this year.

"At the end of the day, we shouldn't be pitting one city against another. I really hope that Interior Health and the provincial government can find the resources," said Basran.

Federal approval required

Milobar said that simply finding extra funding might not be enough, pointing out that such sites need a federal exemption from national drug laws.

"The reality is that the federal government needs to approve these, and I haven't heard what their position is on any potential extra sites or models that they'd be willing to look at."

While Stephen Fuhr, the Liberal MP for Kelowna-Lake Country couldn't confirm the federal government would approve a new site, he said it realizes the issue is urgent.

"We've seen a willingness, an understanding that these sites actually help in the end, not harm, so I think that's a good thing," he said.

"Will it get approved? I don't know the answer to that. [But] it's not going to sit in the corner of someone's desk."

With files from Daybreak South.

To listen to the audio, click the link labelled Mayors of Kelowna and Kamloops want supervised injection sites.