Close X
Saturday, November 23, 2024
ADVT 
National

Construction wraps on indoor supervised site for people who inhale drugs in Vancouver

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 18 Sep, 2024 03:59 PM
  • Construction wraps on indoor supervised site for people who inhale drugs in Vancouver

Construction of Vancouver's first indoor supervised site for people who inhale illicit drugs is complete in the city's Downtown Eastside and its executive director says people could start using the new rooms in weeks.

Dr. Julio Montaner, at the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS which operates the site, says supervised injection sites have been extremely successful in stopping people from dying of overdoses, and similar services need to be offered to people who smoke their drugs.

Nearly two-thirds of overdose deaths in British Columbia in 2023 came after smoking illicit drugs, yet only 40 per cent of supervised consumption sites in the province offer a safe place to smoke, often outdoors, in a tent.

The new facilities offer indoor, individual, negative pressure rooms that allow fresh air to circulate and can clear out smoke in 30 to 60 seconds while users are monitored by trained nurses.

Montaner says work to get the facility up and running has taken years and was possible thanks to a single $4 million donation, with the hope it will provide a model for how more facilities can be run in the future. 

He says the organization is waiting on final city approvals and for the federal government to expand the centre's exemption of national drug laws. 

MORE National ARTICLES

Man arrested after violent carjacking at B.C. airport: RCMP

Man arrested after violent carjacking at B.C. airport: RCMP
A 29-year-old man has been arrested after what police say was a violent carjacking outside the Prince George Airport. Prince George RCMP say the elderly driver suffered serious injuries when the vehicle crashed and he was thrown from the scene.

Man arrested after violent carjacking at B.C. airport: RCMP

B.C. brings in 'bell to bell' school phone ban, as new access rules target protesters

B.C. brings in 'bell to bell' school phone ban, as new access rules target protesters
Cellphone use will be restricted in all British Columbia school districts when pupils return next week, as the province becomes the latest to curtail the use of the devices in classrooms. Premier David Eby says all school districts now have policies in place to ban cellphone use "bell to bell," in line with a government directive announced in April.

B.C. brings in 'bell to bell' school phone ban, as new access rules target protesters

Thousands still out of homes in Manitoba and Saskatchewan due to wildfires

Thousands still out of homes in Manitoba and Saskatchewan due to wildfires
Nearly 3,800 people from First Nations in Saskatchewan and Manitoba remain out of their homes due to nearby wildfires. The Canadian Red Cross says it's supporting more than 2,300 from the remote community of Bunibonibee Cree Nation in northeastern Manitoba, offering lodging, food, transportation and supplies.

Thousands still out of homes in Manitoba and Saskatchewan due to wildfires

4 Mounties injured over the weekend

4 Mounties injured over the weekend
Burnaby R-C-M-P say four Mounties sustained minor injuries as they responded to a report of a man trying to break into a home over the weekend. They say officers arrived to find the 36-year-old suspect yelling incoherently, and when they tried to arrest him, he became aggressive.

4 Mounties injured over the weekend

Fatal truck crash in Sicamous

Fatal truck crash in Sicamous
The driver who died when his tractor trailer crashed over the side of a bridge and plunged into water below has been identified as a 25-year-old man. Sicamous R-C-M-P say they responded to a report of crash at about 6:45 a-m on Saturday, finding the truck was descending down a hill when it struck one end of the bridge, then crossed to the other side and crashed through the guard rail.

Fatal truck crash in Sicamous

How much microplastic is in your coffee? New device by UBC researchers could tell you

How much microplastic is in your coffee? New device by UBC researchers could tell you
Researchers at the University of British Columbia say they've come up with a portable device that can cheaply detect the amount of microplastics in drinks and other liquids. Microplastic particles can be created when things such as plastic cups or utensils degrade, releasing the material into food or drink that could then be ingested or absorbed into the body.

How much microplastic is in your coffee? New device by UBC researchers could tell you