CPHA applauds Health Canada’s authorization of three new supervised consumption facilities in Montreal

OTTAWA, ON – 6 February 2017 – The Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA) applauds the federal Minister of Health for approving the request by the Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux (CIUSSS) du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal to operate three supervised consumption sites at fixed locations in Montreal.

“Today’s announcement is another clear message that the Government of Canada is committed to a public health approach to controlled drugs and substances,” said Ian Culbert, CPHA’s Executive Director. “The acknowledgement that supervised consumption sites are appropriate for some communities and that they can save lives without increasing drug use or crime is a notable shift towards evidence-informed decision-making by the federal government.”

Today’s announcement adds to previous commitments to update Canada’s drug strategy and move responsibility for it back to the Minister of Health. Bill C-37 will modernize the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) and will greatly improve the Government’s ability to mitigate the ongoing opioid crisis.

“We congratulate the Minister of Health for taking yet another concrete, practical step,” said Culbert, “that will result in an untold number of lives being saved.”

On November 30, 2016, CPHA’s Board of Directors approved a Position Statement calling on all levels of governments to take a public health approach to addressing Canada’s opioid crisis.