Pubdate: Tue, 01 Sep 2015
Source: Ottawa Sun (CN ON)
Copyright: 2015 Canoe Limited Partnership
Contact: http://www.ottawasun.com/letter-to-editor
Website: http://www.ottawasun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/329
Author: Julienne Bay
Page: 8

OVERDOSE OF INFORMATION

Forty-five pairs of shoes lined the Human Rights Monument on Elgin 
Street on Monday, representing the estimated number of people who 
died from drug overdoses in Ottawa last year.

In accordance with International Overdose Awareness Day, members of 
Campaign for Safer Consumption Sites and Drug Users Advocacy League 
called for supervised injection sites in Ottawa to prevent drug 
overdoses and to challenge what they say is the stigma faced by drug users.

Nic Diliso, one of the participants, said he was there to raise 
awareness and remember those he has lost due to drug overdose.

"Supervised injection would make things safer," Diliso said. "People 
would know that there's somewhere safe they can go ... and they'd use 
that option."

Diliso himself battled addiction on and off for about two decades and 
he advocates harm reduction for other drug users in the city.

Diliso said having a trained superviser at injection sites would 
prevent others from dying by accidental overdose.

Supervised-injection sites have been opposed by both Mayor Jim Watson 
and police Chief Charles Bordeleau in the past.

Rob Boyd, Sandy Hill Community Health Centre's Oasis program 
director, said Ottawa residents are generally unaware of 
overdose-related deaths in the city.

"This is not on their radar, which is alarming," Boyd said. "Ottawa 
is not exempt amongst cities in Canada where a lot of people are on 
opioid-based pain medication ... if you're on that, you're (at) risk 
of overdose."

He added the advocates have looked at Vancouver's supervised 
injection sites, as well as some European models for Ottawa.

While Ottawa's current needle-exchange program is successful, there 
are a lot of people at risk who don't use needle exchange, Boyd told the Sun.

Because there are at-risk drug users that don't use needles, 
increased access to Naloxone, a drug used to treat addiction that 
blocks opiate receptors in the nervous system, is also needed, Boyd said.
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