Pubdate: Fri, 13 May 2016
Source: Ottawa Sun (CN ON)
Page: 4
Copyright: 2016 Canoe Limited Partnership
Contact: http://www.ottawasun.com/letter-to-editor
Website: http://www.ottawasun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/329
Author: Shaamini Yogaretnam

BORDELEAU WON'T BACK DOWN WITHOUT PLAN

Ottawa police Chief Charles Bordeleau says he won't stop opposing a
supervised injection site in Sandy Hill until he sees a plan from site
proponents on how they plan to prevent crime in the area.

"My concern is from a public safety perspective," Bordeleau told this
newspaper at an editorial board meeting Wednesday.

"Until I see a plan that's presented by organizers and the proponents
that addresses those public safety concerns, I can't support that. And
I haven't seen that yet."

The Sandy Hill Community Health Centre plans to develop a supervised
injection site, but has yet to apply for a federal exemption from drug
laws in order to be able to do so. The application requires a letter
from the city and the police chief.

"We know for a fact that (a supervised injection site) could impact
that community and we hear that from the community and we hear that
from our officers. You put a site in Sandy Hill, which is surrounded
by businesses, residences and schools, and that will attract addicts
to go and shoot up their illegal substances in that site. What that
will result in is, most likely, an increase in drug traffickers to
sell their drugs to those addicts in that specific community,"
Bordeleau said.

Bordeleau said that the same is true of other areas where there is a
high concentration of drug users such as the areas around the
Salvation Army, the Mission and the Shepherds of Good Hope. Police
conduct enforcement efforts in those areas to stop "traffickers from
preying on vulnerable addicts," he said.

Bordeleau said that the concentration of drug users and dealers could
create a "potential" for increased criminal activity in the area.

"We know for a fact that users, to buy their drugs, commit crimes -
whether they break into cars, or other types of things - that's how
they get their money. So our concern is potentially we'll see an
increase in crime in that vicinity of the Sandy Hill Community Centre."

Bordeleau said that as chief of police he needs to be addressed
directly by the site's organizers. Bordeleau said he is open-minded
and that the service is also open-minded, but "give us something.
We've seen nothing.

"I want to hear from the organizers in Sandy Hill: what are they 
going to do, specific things that they're going to do to try to 
mitigate the presence of drug traffickers, because they will show up. 
It's a fact that they will show up there."  
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