With dire language, Woodstock politicians block supervised drug-use site

City politicians in Woodstock have voted against allowing a supervised drug-use site in their Southwestern Ontario city, despite pleas from local public health officials over its outsized number of fatal opioid overdoses.

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Coun. Mark Schadenberg put forward a motion to block the facility from the city of 40,000. It passed by a vote of 4-3, with Mayor Jerry Acchione and councilors Deb Tait and Connie Lauder supporting Schadenburg’s push. Tait warned allowing one could “destroy” the city.

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Bernia Wheaton, Liz Wismer-Van Meer and Kate Leatherbarrow voted against Schadenburg’s motion, essentially in support of the facility that’s been proposed by local public health leaders.

“I am 1,000 per cent behind rehab facilities, 1,000 per cent behind all the other wraparound services that are necessary well before any kind of safe consumption site,” Schadenberg said. He expressed concerns over the lack of 24/7 care at supervised drug-use sites, and referenced sites in the area, including in London, closing at 9 pm

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Mayor Acchione cited the city’s “financial state” in voting to block the facility, saying he would rather direct the money toward other treatment options for drug addicts.

In the debate on Thursday, Coun. Deb Tait expressed concerns over the availability of drugs and the possibility that the facility could contribute to crime. “The crime is off the scales around these places. Talk to any police officer in a city that has them, and its at least a six block radius.

“It would destroy the city.”

Several councilors voiced their disappointment in the motion to scrap the plan, saying it was premature because the location and operation details weren’t yet determined. There was also uncertainty around the provincial government’s move to pause new supervised drug-use sites pending a review after a stray bullet fired near one in Toronto killed a woman.

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Coun. Leatherbarrow used the expression “cut it off right at the leg” to reference making a final decision without the input of frontline care providers.

Circling back to the purpose of supervised drug-use sites, Wheaton referenced the number of opioid deaths in the community, saying that such a facility would “keep people alive longer until they are ready to seek treatment.”

Dr. Ninh Tran is the top public health official for Oxford and Elgin counties. At a September council meeting, he told Woodstock politicians the facilities are crucial to reducing opioid overdose deaths.

“It would be reducing opioid harms, particularly deaths. I think that’s probably the biggest benefit you’ll see, because people will come in rather than doing (illegal drugs) alone at home and in public spaces,” he said.

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In 2021, opioid-related emergency department visits in Oxford and Elgin were 162 per 100,000 versus Ontario’s 114 per 100,000. The region had 31.9 opioid-related hospitalizations per 100,000 versus 16.3 per 100,000 in Ontario and deaths were 21.9 per 100,000 versus Ontario’s 19.4 per 100,000.

Supporters of supervised drug-use facilities argue that by allowing addicts to use drugs under the care of professionals, the risk of overdoses and deaths is greatly reduced.

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