Safe consumption site in Timmins ready to open Monday
With Health Canada's permission, street drugs can now be consumed inside Safe Health Site Timmins.
Beginning Monday, people struggling with addiction can go there to inject their pre-obtained substances under the supervision of trained staff.
“We do hope to see for the community at large that if they know someone who uses substances, there's a safe place for them," said Patrick Nowak, manager of the addictions program at Timmins and District Hospital.
"We also hope to see decreases in 911 calls, we hope to see less discarded needles and things like that in the community."
There are three consumption booths, each equipped with sterile injection supplies.
"We have the mirrors there so nurses at the other end of the nursing station can sort of watch to make sure there's nothing medically wrong," said Nowak.
People can also get information on site about other local health services.
Dr. Louis Marion-Bellemare said opening Safe Health Site Timmins is an important milestone, but more work needs to be done because it's only a temporary site.
“The Timmins Area Drug Strategy and many other community organizations and leaders are still working vigorously on a permanent site," Marion-Bellemare said.
"That site takes quite a bit of time and we have to get special exemptions from the government and we are still actively working on that and we’re getting closer every day to a permanent site.”
Fifteen new jobs have been created at Safe Health Site Timmins, including nurses, nurse practitioners, harm reduction workers and patient engagement and safety staff members.
Retired police chief John Gauthier will be one of them.
“I’m not done yet. I need to keep serving the community in some form and I'm glad to do it this way," said Gauthier.
In the past two years, health officials said Timmins has had alarmingly high death rates due to suspected drug overdoes, ranking second in the province in 2020 and fourth last year.
The City of Timmins provided $1 million to establish the site.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
Toxic forever chemicals in drinking water: Is Canada doing enough?
As the United States sets its first national limits on toxic forever chemicals in drinking water, researchers say Canada is lagging when it comes to regulations.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Some customers steaming after McDonald's ends free hot drink sticker program
It took years for Vinnie Deluca to collect more than 400 cards worth of free McDonald's McCafe coffee, a collection that now has "zero value" after the company discontinued the program.
Biden scores endorsements from Kennedy family, looking to shore up support against Trump and RFK Jr.
U.S. President Joe Biden will accept endorsements from at least 15 members of the Kennedy political family during a campaign stop in Philadelphia on Thursday as he aims to undermine Donald Trump and marginalize the candidacy of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
When new leaders took over in ancient Maya, they didn't just bury the former royals. They burned their bodies in public
New archeological investigations in Guatemala reveal that the ancient Maya people had a ritual of burning royal human remains as a public display of political regime change.
Party's over: Coyotes play final game as Arizona franchise before move to Salt Lake City
Mullett Arena buzzed like few times in the two years since the Arizona Coyotes moved in, the fans amped for one last desert hurrah.