Applications for Timmins' permanent overdose prevention site are sent
Officials with the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Cochrane-Timiskaming said they're optimistic that a permanent overdose prevention site will be approved within the year.
Dr. Paul Jalbert, executive director for the area CMHA, said now that Timmins council has endorsed a provincially-funded supervised consumption site, applications to the provincial and federal governments have been submitted.
“We’re hopeful from Health Canada we can start a conversation after their initial review maybe six weeks from now or so and then the Ministry of Health some time after that, but also we continue the engagement work particularly with the near neighbours and with the downtown core,” said Jalbert.
“I’m hopeful that we can see something in six months but six to nine months is probably more realistic."
The temporary Safe Health Site Timmins (SHST) was opened in July and is managed by the Timmins and District Hospital.
Hospital officials said in the first six months of operation it saw more than 10,000 visits with almost half of those to consume substances on site. The other visitors were seeking a variety of other services offered at the site.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
When it becomes a permanent faculty at the Cedar Street North location, the local CMHA will run it. Jalbert said improved access to services including housing support and primary care will be offered at that time.
“As a mental health and addictions service provider, we can tie people from this harm reduction service to a treatment service just about immediately if they want to make that connection, so really seamless for the individual who’s coming in,” he said.
Porcupine Health Unit officials said a provincially-funded supervised consumption site is one part of a larger comprehensive approach with the Timmins and Area Drug Strategy to address substance use in the region.
Officials told CTV News that while SHST saves lives – so far twenty-two overdoses were reversed –it also saves money since visits to emergency room visits and paramedic response calls are more expensive.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Explosion at train station leads to discovery of stolen car on Montreal's South Shore: police
Police are investigating after a BMW exploded in the St-Lambert Exo train station parking lot on Montreal's South Shore.