Pubdate: Sat, 31 Dec 2016 Source: Victoria Times-Colonist (CN BC) Copyright: 2016 Times Colonist Contact: http://www.timescolonist.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/481 Author: Times Colonist Page: A3 CITY HALL REOPENS AFTER SECURITY ADDED TO NANAIMO DRUG SITE Nanaimo City Hall reopened Friday after a portable toilet and a security guard appeared near an unauthorized overdose prevention site in the parking lot. Nanaimo Coun. Gordon Fuller, who helped set up the drug site, said the safety measures - which he considers silly - were paid for by the city. "Any perception of any safety risk has existed for at least a decade, and nobody has done anything about it," he said. "People have gone there and done drugs and had homeless camps for well over a decade." Fuller and fellow councillor Jim Kipp, frustrated over what they see as a slow response to the growing number of overdose deaths, on Monday erected a temporary drug-injection site in the city hall parking lot. It consists of a canopy with tarp sides, tables and chairs, and is staffed by volunteers trained to deliver the overdose antidote naloxone and to call emergency services. On Thursday, several Nanaimo City Hall offices shut down, with the city's chief administrator citing safety concerns. The City of Nanaimo posted a statement on its website Friday, warning that the safety of such "pop-up" sites are uncertain and advising against their use. "The City supports a response to prevent overdose deaths, but stresses that such a response needs to comply with provincial health standards to ensure the safety of the users," the statement says. "Unregulated sites are a serious public health risk… Consequently, the City has asked Vancouver Island Health Authority and the RCMP to take immediate action to address the risk caused by this unregulated site, to ensure the safety of the participants." The municipal union, CUPE 401, has said that while it supports the idea of a safe-injection site, it did not like the way this one was erected. "We have concerns about the health and safety of local residents, employees and the very users this was meant to support," the union said in a letter online. Island Health has said it had hoped to open a temporary overdose-prevention site in Nanaimo as early as next week, but that it has failed to find a suitable location. - --- MAP posted-by: