Harper government moves to block supervised injection services for drug users in Canada

Update: Health Canada has granted Insite an exemption to operate for another year. However, Health Canada has yet to decide to grant an exemption for Dr. Peter Centre, which has operated a three-booth injection room since 2002.

The House of Commons passed Bill C-2, the Respect for Communities Act. Pretty title, but like so much Conservative legislation, the meaning of the title, like the bill, is cruelly ironic.

Bill C-2 spreads Harper's misinformation about harm reduction

Bill C-2, known as the Respect for Communities Act, was drafted by the government in response to the Supreme Court ruling of September 2011 that supported the continued operation of Insite, Vancouver's supervised injection facility.

It has completed first and second readings in the House of Commons and is currently one-third of the way to becoming law.

If passed, Bill C-2 will create substantial barriers to the establishment of safe consumption sites, such as Vancouver's Insite.

Supervised drug injection sites to get new rules tomorrow

The federal government will table legislation Thursday that will clarify the rules around new supervised drug injection sites in Canada.

The rules come three years after a Supreme Court ruling that allowed a Vancouver supervised injection site to remain open.

Proving the proven: Advocates push for a safe consumption site in Ottawa

"There's a health crisis in Ottawa."

Chris Dalton's pronouncement contains not a trace of drama, but it's hard to reconcile with the city I see at the moment. It's springtime in the national capital, and it's beautiful -- the bike paths along the canal and rivers are getting busy, trees are flourishing in greens and reds, and the historical architecture in the core of the city glints beneath the sunlight.

 But even in a well-groomed capital city, social inequities are playing out with detrimental health consequences. If you’re paying attention, they’re apparent. As a social worker, Dalton is paying attention.