Windsor's drug consumption and treatment site expected to open in April

Health Canada has yet to give the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit the green light unit to open the doors of the Safepoint Consumption and Treatment Site (CTS), despite a successful inspection on March 8.

"Health unit staff has been following up with Health Canada to get an update," said Fabio Costante, chair of the board of health. "But on their end they're very busy and so the communication back is that it's certainly being reviewed and it's going to hopefully be in the next week or two."

The Safepoint site is located at at 101 Wyandotte St. E. Officials previously said it could be open by the end of March.

Costante says a manager has been hired and staff are being hired and the renovations to the building are substantially complete. It's not clear what's holding up the approval.

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Efforts to establish the site go back several years. Community groups that have been pushing for the CTS say delaying the opening puts lives further at risk.

Bilal Nasser is part of the group called Save the Windsor CTS. He's disappointed the opening is being delayed.

"And just the nature of this opioid epidemic we're in, it's unfortunate that it couldn't be opened sooner because the bottom line is every day we don't have this medical service, there's more risk of a loss of life," said Nasser.

"It can't happen soon enough. We're all ready to roll, and we're both as residents and having been participating in co-ordinating the launch of the safe consumption site, we're eagerly looking forward to it happening," said Bob Cameron, co-director of the Downtown Windsor Community Collaborative.

Costante says when approval comes, it will take about a week before it can open.

CBC News has reached out to Health Canada for comment.