Health Canada grants Lowertown safe consumption site 3-year exemption

Shepherds of Good Hope on King Edward Avenue in Ottawa on Sept. 30, 2024. (Scott Rook/CTV News Ottawa)

Health Canada has granted a three-year exemption under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act to one of Lowertown's safe consumption sites that will allow the facility to continue operating, Inner City Health says.

• Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
• The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App

The facility, known as The Trailer, is operated by Inner City Health inside the Shepherds of Good Hope building at 256 King Edward Avenue and has offered supervised consumption services since 2017.

The exemption under the Act, which allows safe consumption sites to operate, was last granted for The Trailer in September 2021 and was set to expire on Monday.

"We received notification today that our exemption has been renewed for 3 years so we are able to continue operation without interruption," said Inner City Health CEO Rob Boyd in a statement to CTV News.

"The situation on the ground has not changed with regards to the toxic drug crisis and consumption sites are a critical part of our response to this crisis along with take home naloxone, access to treatment, primary care, housing and community development."

Boyd said Inner City Health had been working for "several months" with Health Canada to receive the extension.

Health Canada confirmed it renewed Inner City Health's existing exemption in an email to CTV News.

"Health Canada works closely with supervised consumption site operators as well as all levels of government to best support the health and safety of Ontario communities," a spokesperson said in a statement.

The extension comes as the provincial government introduced new rules last month to prevent any supervised consumption site within 200 metres of a school or child care centre. Any consumption site within those boundaries will have to close by March 31, 2025.

Under the new regulations, 10 supervised drug consumption sites in Ontario, including the Somerset West Community Health Centre in Ottawa, are set to close. While The Trailer is not affected by the provincial legislation, the closure of the Somerset West facility will make its services "much more critical," Boyd said.

The Trailer has 14 injection booths, making it one of the largest and busiest sites in Ontario, according to the Shepherds of Good Hope. It serves an average of 225 people and reverses an average of 2.3 overdoses each day.

There are currently four safe consumption sites in Ottawa, including the Sandy Hill Community Health Centre at 221 Nelson Street, a facility operated by Ottawa Public Health at 179 Clarence Street, The Trailer and the Somerset West Community Health Centre.