The preferred location for a supervised consumption site (SCS) in Barrie has been chosen and will now be in the hands of city council for possible endorsement later this month.
After a community consultation process that included online surveys, discussions with key stakeholders including council members, and neighbourhood virtual consultation sessions, the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit has announced 19 Innisfil St. (also known as 80 Bradford St., Unit 940) as the proposed location for such a facility.
An SCS provides a safe space and sterile equipment for individuals to use pre-obtained drugs under the supervision of health-care staff. Consumption refers to taking opioids and other drugs by injection, smoking, snorting, or orally.
Along with the Innisfil Street location, also under consideration were 110 Dunlop St. W. Unit 4, 11 Sophia St. W., and 192 Bradford St.
The search for prospective locations was carried out by the lead applicant, the Canadian Mental Health Association-Simcoe County Branch, and the local health unit as the co-applicant, along with the SCS site selection advisory committee.
The committee is comprised of community members and partner agencies, including those who provide support to people using drugs in the city and others who bring perspective from local residents and businesses.
When contacted by BarrieToday, Mayor Jeff Lehman said he supports the need for an SCS in the city, but added he hasn’t yet had a chance to review all of the information related to the Innisfil Street location.
Lehman said there's an "urgent" need to get an SCS set up in Barrie.
The local health unit says that between January and mid-September 2020, there were 94 confirmed and probable opioid-related deaths in Simcoe-Muskoka — of which 47 were in Barrie. The city’s rate was twice as high for this time period in 2020 to date compared to the average of 2017-19, according to the health unit.
Health officials have repeatedly stated an SCS needs to be located in an area where the drug use is occurring, so the facility would be to be near Barrie's downtown.
Coun. Keenan Aylwin, who represents the city's downtown, says he backs the Innisfil Street location and the science behind such facilities.
"I will be supporting the recommendation from public health experts on a supervised consumption site (SCS), just as I would support their recommendation on COVID-19 vaccines clinics," Aylwin told BarrieToday. "The science is clear that these sites are effective and needed.
"Barrie was in desperate need of this service years ago and that need has only grown since then," he added. "My heart breaks when I think of the people who have lost their lives to the toxic drug-supply crisis since council last rejected the application for an SCS. We must act to save lives now. People who use drugs deserve to live a life of dignity."
The search for a location for an SCS began in September 2019, when the advisory committee was struck.
The application for an SCS is part of an action plan by Simcoe Muskoka Opioid Strategy (SMOS), which is a large partnership of agencies, organizations and individuals working to address the crisis of opioid use and overdose rates in the region.
A number of factors were considered for the proposed Barrie location, including provincial and federal guidelines, best practices for locating SCS sites for accessibility, proximity to sensitive land uses (such as schools, parks, licensed child-care centres, residential development and businesses), feedback received during community consultation process, and final input from the advisory committee members.
Dr. Lisa Simon, associate medical officer of health for the local health unit, said she was happy with the process that led to today's announcement.
“We appreciate everyone who took the time to participate in any of our consultations or reached out to us,” Simon said in a news release issued on Thursday. “Community consultations have been a critical part of the SCS application, ensuring that a wide range of community members have the opportunity to express their needs, thoughts and concerns so that the location can best meet the needs of people who use drugs, as well as those of the broader community.”
Aylwin says an SCS is "only the beginning" to end the toxic drug supply.
"It’s time for the Canadian government to decriminalize drugs and end the failed war on drugs," he said. "The war on drugs has disproportionately harmed Black people, Indigenous people, and people of colour who have been over-policed and over-incarcerated as a result.
"We need a safe supply of regulated drugs, full decriminalization and the expungement of criminal records associated with possession of drugs," Aylwin added. "This would be real justice for the lives lost due to the toxic drug-supply crisis and the failed war on drugs. Overdose deaths are a direct result of failed government policy. These deaths are preventable if we had the courage to act."
Selecting a location is only part of the ongoing application process for an SCS site in Barrie. Endorsement of the proposed location will be sought during a presentation to city council on May 25.
If endorsement is received, an application to the federal government for exemption from the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and to the provincial government for its approval for funding will be completed and submitted.
For more information on SCSs, including the local application history and the recent work of the site selection advisory committee, visit www.smdhu.org/SCS.
