Underground supervised injection site in Sudbury pops up in Louis St. neighborhood

It almost looked like somebody was camping on city-owned land near Junction Creek off Louis Street in downtown Sudbury on Friday.

But the real purpose of the encampment was not recreation, but to provide a safe place to inject drugs.

A steady stream of people took refuge in the small tent or under a pavilion wrapped in a black fabric privacy screen from about 1 p.m. until late in the afternoon.

The tents were stocked with water, drug injection supplies and naloxone kits.

A group of people, one of whom identified herself as a registered nurse, say they're a band of harm reduction workers who are responsible for what's being described as an unsanctioned pop-up overdose prevention site.

She says the group is called the Sudbury Temporary Overdose Prevention Society or STOP Society.

CBC has agreed not to publish her name in order to protect her safety.

"This is not an easy thing for the community to swallow because it does involve something that is considered illegal and it does involve drug use. But we are literally here to prevent people from dying. Everybody's a person, I don't care who you are or what you do, your drug use does not define you," she said.

She provided a hand-out saying they are offering a safe, hygienic environment for people to inject pre-obtained drugs under their supervision.

We are literally here to prevent people from dying. Everybody's a person, I don't care who you are or what you do, your drug use does not define you- nurse with the STOP Society

They will provide sterile injection supplies, education, overdose prevention and intervention, nursing and other services.

They don't receive any funding from the Ontario or federal government because they are an unsanctioned, volunteer-run organization.

While the site was in use, two police cruisers, two more police supervisors, a city bylaw officer and a paramedic van jammed into the quiet spot. 

It wasn't clear if the officers were there to shut down the site.

"They've been asking me questions. I answered their questions," the nurse said. "We've been dialoguing with each other about what's going on in our city in terms of the opioid poisoning crisis. And I think while we may not see eye-to-eye on the immediate solution, I think that they want to save peoples' lives as much as we do as they are first responders, which I think is a very strong platform from which to start the dialogue."

She spent about an hour talking with them but eventually they all left and the site continued to operate.

Occasional angry shouts of 'junkie lover' pierced the air from the direction of the nearby apartment building, but no one seemed to pay any attention.

Ward 12 councillor Joscelyne Landry-Altman paid a quick visit but refused to comment, saying only that some residents had contacted her and she wanted to see for herself.

Some harm reduction outreach workers from the Sudbury Action Centre for Youth were there, not to participate, but to observe and offer support.

One of them, Joel Boivin, says he sees a need for the site, having witnessed an exponential increase in the number of overdoses and deaths attributed to tainted drugs.

"Many people do use at their drug dealer's place, and things like that. Some of those places depending on which one, some are more productive and make sure there are clean supplies, resources and stuff like that and sometimes you are stuck with what you're stuck with."

Boivin says he was doing some outreach on the trail that led to the site, letting people know there is a potent batch of drug called blue heroin right now.  

"I think the biggest thing was that when police and paramedics were here, it was a little intimidating for a lot of folks to come down, so they made it down part way, then jaunted up the mountain or down the creek or somewhere more private to use."

 As for the angry shouts from the neighbourhood, Boivin can understand that point of view too.

"It's a hard world to understand from the outside so a lot of education goes a long way." 

The volunteers say it was their second Friday afternoon offering the temporary service and they plan to return again next Friday.

A couple of hours after they shut down, the Community Drug Strategy in Sudbury sent out a warning that a higher than usual number of overdoses were occurring and asking drug users to take precautions.

While the pop-up site is not legal, the Manager of Mental Health and Addictions at Public Health Sudbury and Districts says work continues to assess the need for a licensed site.

Shana Calixte says a contract with a researcher is being finalized to move the feasibility study forward to apply for a permanent site.

As for the volunteers running the pop-up overdose prevention site, Calixte says she can see their point of view.

"We understand these sites are appearing in response to opioid overdoses in our community and that the intention of these sites is to help and address a need in our community. We also know it is because of an abundance of passion for people who are using drugs and also to save lives," she said. 

"For us, we really want to move through the process to see if there is the degree of need for a permanent site."