OTTAWA – Vancouver’s supervised injection site will remain open after the Supreme Court ruling on Friday stated that closing it would violate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
The decision ends a legal battle over whether federal attempts to close the safe injection site infringes on the charter rights of addicts under section seven: the right to life, liberty and security of the person.
Insite is currently operating under the jurisdiction of the B.C. government and enjoys an exemption from the Criminal Code.
The centre – situated in the heart of Canada’s poorest neighbourhood – opened its doors in 2003 in efforts to curb skyrocketing rates of overdose deaths in the drug-riddled community.
It is North America’s first legal supervised injection site and is staffed by nurses and offers drug users a safe place to shoot up, as well as access to addiction counseling, treatment and housing support.
Since opening, Insite has rallied the support of its community, the provincial government, the city’s current mayor Gregor Robertson and the medical community.
A study released earlier this year and published in the prominent medical journal The Lancet found that fatalities from drug overdoses have dropped 35 per cent.
The Conservative government wants to shut Insite’s doors, saying it fosters addition and enables criminal activity. They have moved to end the Criminal Code exemption.
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