Local MP outlines plan to combat opioid crisis

MP talks opioid plan MP Alex Nuttall unveils his plan to combat opioids and keep safe injections sites out of Barrie's downtown. CTV's Beatrice Vaisman reports.

“We do not and will not recommend proceeding with an injection site in downtown Barrie.”

Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte MP Alex Nuttall released a 49-page report blasting Canada’s current approach to the opioid crisis.

Nuttall outlines his strategy to combat the growing crisis in the report by pointing to prevention-focused alternatives.  He says money is desperately needed to tackle the “root causes” of addiction.

“I think step one is the federal government taking a leadership role to deal with this crisis and to step forward and say we’re gonna provide funding.”

The MP toured safe-injection sites in Toronto and Vancouver as part of his research and calls the visits eye-opening.

“I didn’t know that areas existed in this country that exists in the downtown east side of Vancouver.  This was mind-boggling.  It’s not right, it’s not fair, we’re failing individuals who have obviously had huge traumas,” says Nuttall.

His report offers 21 recommendations to deal with the crisis including eliminating barriers to treatment, making rehabilitation facilities more readily available, enhancing education programs and employing outreach street teams.

Health experts in the region say compassionate care for addicts begins with keeping them alive, which they say is the primary objective of supervised injection sites.

“It’s not one or the other,” says Dr. Lisa Simon.  “We need to do all of these things.  We need to prevent. We need to treat. We need to have harm-reduction. We need to have enforcement.  All of these strategies work together.”

The medical officer of health goes on to say safe-injection sites not only prevent overdose deaths but help regular users get access to other health and social services to stop their cycle to drug abuse.

The Gilbert Centre, along with the health unit and other stakeholders in our region are in the process of applying to both the province and Health Canada for an injection site for Barrie.