Public Service Alliance of Canada BC

At their meeting earlier this week, the PSAC National Board of Directors adopted a resolution brought forward by REVP Kay Sinclair, which commits the PSAC to lobbying the federal government to accept the counsel of enlightened medical and law enforcement professionals and support the work of Insite. Similar resolutions have been adopted by the BC Federation of Labour and the Canadian Labour Congress.

• Read the text of the resolution.

Insite, located in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, commenced operation in 2003 and is North America’s only safe injection site for IV drug users. Dedicated to the principle of harm reduction, the goal of Insite is to prevent overdoses and the spread of blood-borne diseases and to provide a point of access to health and detoxification services for drug users.

• Read more about Insite here.

In the face of the federal government’s apparent intent to let Insite’s license to operate expire, the British Columbia Supreme Court extended the facility’s license for one year and directed the government to redraft its drug laws in order to accommodate Insite’s operations. The Harper government has announced that it will appeal the judgment.