KITCHENER - An interim supervised consumption site is expected to open in downtown Kitchener by the end of August.

Waterloo Region council approved the plan on Wednesday night to set up a temporary site at 150 Duke St. W., where the permanent consumption and treatment services site is slated to be located.

"This is a very important step for our community," said Coun. Sean Strickland. "We've been discussing this issue for a number of years. The problem continues to get worse, not better."

Strickland said "kudos to us" for doing what is in the best interest of the community.

The full site is anticipated to open in about eight months, which means the temporary site will operate for about six months.

The total cost is estimated at $730,000 for one-time capital and ongoing operating costs, funded from the region's tax stabilization reserve. The monthly cost will be about $100,000, about two-thirds of that for staffing.

Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic, who proposed the idea of an interim site back in April when the location of the permanent site was approved by council, said he was pleased to see the plan moving forward.

Three options were explored for an interim site based on input from community partners: a construction trailer in a parking lot near St. John's Kitchen or the Duke Street site, and a portion of the Duke Street building accessible while work is underway on the full site.

Operating out of the Duke Street location was recommended by staff as the best option to minimize disruption to the public and clients that could occur with changing the location, and no costs for a trailer or leasing a second site. The interim site will affect the timeline for construction of the full-service site, estimated at one to two months in the report to council on Wednesday.

The interim site has already been in the works for nearly two months after the community services committee passed a motion to open one within two months on April 9.

A federal exemption is needed to open an interim site, and the application review process takes two weeks. Public health staff will work with Sanguen Health Centre on setting up the interim site.

jweidner@therecord.com

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