It was a busy first weekend for Ottawa’s first pop-up safe injection site.
Organizers say 55 people visited the Overdose Prevention Ottawa site in a Lowertown park over the weekend. No overdoses were reported over the three days, while one client needed monitoring.
The group set up three tents in Raphael Brunet Park on St. Patrick Street on Friday afternoon. Ottawa Police officers visited the site when it was initially set up.
Marilou Gagnon says one of the guests using the site on Sunday evening told her “where have you been all my life?”
Overdose Prevention Ottawa is comprised of nurses, community members and service providers. Three volunteers are working at the site at all times to supervise drug use. Clean needles and naloxone kits are also on site.
A legal safe injection site is scheduled to open this fall at the Sandy Hill Community Health Centre.
