Supervised injection site could 'save lives,' says province's top health official

P.E.I.'s chief public health officer says a supervised injection site could save people's lives amid an alarming increase in fentanyl use on the Island — but the province's plans to establish one are still unclear.

Dr. Heather Morrison answered questions about harm reduction and what the government calls an overdose prevention site during a meeting of the standing committee on health and social development at the legislature Wednesday.

Morrison told MLAs illicit drugs have become increasingly more toxic and drug-related overdoses continue to rise.

There were 40 recorded opioid-related overdoses in P.E.I. last year compared to 10 in 2019. So far in 2023, just over one-third of the overdoses that Island EMS has responded to have been fentanyl-related.

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"What we know from over 100 different scientific reviews is that an overdose prevention site can decrease mortality and morbidity, so save lives," Morrison told CBC News.

"It can also link people to treatment, so the more people can access treatment when they use OPS. And then finally it can decrease public substance use — and that's good for the community."

But when asked on what the province's plans for a supervised injection site, Morrison said she couldn't confirm a location, or what the government's next steps are.

Opposition asks for clarity

The location of a possible site has been controversial.

It was originally going to be at 33 Belmont Street in Charlottetown, across from the city's main food bank. But during the spring election, the candidate for the Progressive Conservatives in the area said it would be moving elsewhere.

In September, city councillors voted against a planning board recommendation for a temporary variance to establish the site at 15 Park Street, near the city's emergency shelter. The province decided not to appeal the decision.

On Wednesday, opposition MLAs told CBC News the government needs to provide more information about its plans.

"They don't have the will and they haven't done the education. They haven't communicated with Islanders and don't have a set vision for what we need to keep people safe," said Liberal MLA Gord McNeilly.

"It's been pretty quiet from government side. So I'm pretty disappointed and I remain disappointed."

Green interim leader Karla Bernard represents the district that includes the two previously proposed locations for the site. She said it would "make sense" to have the site there, but there are a lot of questions the government needs to answer first.

"There's a lot of public engagement that needs to be done in good faith. People need to feel heard and they don't," she said. 

"One of my biggest fears is, is it too late to engage the community in good faith? Is it too late for the community to come to a point where where they can accept this because they're seeing what's happening in their community now and they're not happy with it?"

Morrison said there's "some confusion" among the public regarding P.E.I.'s supervised injection site and the province's outreach centre, which also has been highly controversial.

She said it's important to continue talking to the community about the site's potential benefits.

"We've said all along the reason that we've been certainly supportive of an overdose prevention site is because we think it's important and it will save lives," she said. "I think it's really important for provincial government, municipal government and community to work together to make sure that we look after all Islanders."

Robin Croucher, a PC MLA and a long-time paramedic, told the committee that he supports it.

"I've responded to private dwellings, I've responded to park benches, I've responded to beaches, I've responded to all kinds of different environments for drug overdoses," he said.

"Being alone is one of ... the biggest problems when someone is overdosing, right? Because the help is not there for them and by the time we get there, it's too late. So I do believe that we need an overdose prevention site."