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Drug-using rooms are springing up in government-funded housing in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside in response to the growing number of deaths from street drugs laced with fentanyl.

The trend came to light Tuesday during a news conference where B.C. Health Minister Terry Lake announced the opening of 38 new addiction treatment beds for women — where drugs will not be allowed — run by the Atira Women’s Resources Society.

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“Are we skirting federal law? You could make that argument,” Lake told reporters after the announcement, “but we weren’t prepared to wait for changes to save lives … These, we hope, will be temporary measures until we get approval for supervised (drug) consumption sites in all areas of the province.”

B.C.’s Coroners Service released a report last week saying 914 people died of illicit drug overdoses in the province in 2016.

Atira chief executive officer Janice Abbott said the “shared-using rooms” opened after 11 overdose deaths among residents of Atira-related projects in the last three months, more than over the last 10 years combined. The organization runs 16 supported-housing facilities for women fleeing violence, and also supports some coed housing.