As record numbers of BC residents fall victim to overdose-related deaths, the province has announced immediate action in both Victoria and Vancouver.
Applications to establish supervised injection sites in Victoria are still awaiting federal approval, but provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall told local health authorities that, with increased risk of death and brain damage from a combination of overdose and hypothermia, an emergency strategy is needed.
The Ministry of Health has responded by announcing today that new 'overdose prevention sites' will open next week at Our Place on Pandora Avenue and at the former Central Care Home on Johnson Street. A third overdose prevention site will open in Rock Bay later this month.
The province has also announced several overdose prevention sites and a mobile medical unit for Vancouver.