Former homeless shelter in Timmins eyed by CMHA as permanent safe consumption site
The Canadian Mental Health Association Cochrane-Temiskaming branch is looking to set up a permanent safe consumption site at 21 Cedar St. N, the location of the current temporary site and which once housed the city’s homeless shelter.
The association’s executive director Paul Jalbert said it is well-frequented by the local homeless and drug-addicted population, most recently seeing hundreds visiting Safe Health Site Timmins (SHST). He said it has all the right facilities to host a permanent site, as well as being the required distance away from schools and parks.
He said the site would be part of a larger strategy to not only keep people from dying, but also help them kick their addictions.
“In addition to providing a harm-reduction approach to this challenge, we want it be able to link people to services,” Jalbert said.
“Whether that be in-community addiction and mental health services, residential treatment services or acute care in-patient services.”
With the CMHA offering mental health, addictions, primary care and housing services, Jalbert said it’s a natural organization to run the site.
The key, he said, is being able to transition clients to follow-up treatment and supports.
“We will be able to facilitate that seamlessly,” Jalbert said.
“Because this is a collaborative project, we’re also going to be able to build bridges with community partners that offer different services.”
That means the site would be a central hub that people with addictions issues can turn to, rather than trying to navigate the system on their own. Local health officials have noted that vulnerable people have found it complicated to access the services they need.
Timmins’ new mayor Michelle Boileau said the results seen at SHST so far have been encouraging, which she expects can only be further boosted by a permanent site.
“We’re seeing the referrals to in-patient withdrawal management, referrals to other counselling and support services,” Boileau said.
“So, it is an effective operation and it’s important that it continues.”
The CMHA is planning to present a report to city council later this month and ask that it endorse the proposed location.
Boileau said while data from the SHST has been published since its opening in July, she wants to see a detailed report about its impacts and how making it permanent would impact the community.
She also wants to see comments from both SHST clients and others who would use the permanent site.
“What they would be looking for in a safe consumption site, is what’s most important here,” Boileau said.
The CMHA is holding public consultations on Dec. 14, the day before its presentation to council.
It’s calling on community members and potential clients to offer their thoughts.
“That dialogue will inform the evolution of our service system,” Jalbert said.
This is all in preparation to submit a formal application for the site to Health Canada, since it requires a federal exemption to allow the consumption of illicit drugs without fear of criminal charges.
Whereas the city allocated $1 million from its budget to the SHST, the permanent site would require provincial funding.
The goal is to have the application ready in the new year.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Alice Munro, Nobel literature winner revered as short story master, dead at 92
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
Latest updates on air quality alerts, and when the smoke may reach Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Attack on prison van in France kills 2 officers, inmate escapes
Armed assailants killed two French prison officers and seriously wounded three others in an attack on a convoy in Normandy on Tuesday and an inmate escaped, officials said.
Maximum payout for LifeLabs class-action drops from $150 estimate to $7.86
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
Steal a car, lose your driver's licence for 10 years under new Ontario proposal
Repeat car thieves may face lengthy licence bans under proposed changes to Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act.
$1.6B parts plant for Honda electric vehicle batteries coming to Niagara Region
A Japanese company has announced it will build an approximately $1.6-billion plant in Ontario's Niagara Region that will make a key electric vehicle battery component as part of Honda's supply chain in the province.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Manitoba premier to visit areas impacted by wildfire
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew will get a close-up look at the devastation from a large wildfire burning in northern Manitoba Tuesday.