“Those right there, each little dot is where I’ve put an IV into myself,” these words admitted from an addict in downtown Barrie where the use of opioids is growing every day.

Addicts struggle out in the open on the streets while the issue of safe-injection sites in the city is once again at the centre of a political debate.

“There is no safe way to inject illegal drugs,” says MP Alex Nuttall. “That’s just a fact, and so we need to start calling them what they are.”

Nuttall admits there’s a crisis underway in the city but strongly opposes safe-injection sites.

The Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte MP says overcoming addiction will only come through rehabilitation, mental health services, and compassion, and not by offering addicts a space to continue the habit.

“If all of the funding is going into preserving somebody’s life for a few more days, and not treating the actual habit in the first place,” says Nuttall. “The result is going to be more and more need to keep people alive.”

A social media war flared up between Nuttall and former provincial liberal candidate Jeff Kerk. Kerk says saving the lives of those struggling with drug-dependence has to happen before treatment can begin.

“This is 2018,” says Kerk. “People shouldn’t be dying on the streets.”

Kerk says he firmly believes these sites play a role in harm reduction. He disagrees with the notion that safe-injection sites normalize drug use.

“The reality is, it is normal. People are using drugs. They have been using drugs for a long time. What I want to stop making normal is people dying from using these drugs.”

Meanwhile, Nuttall is in the process of consulting with local stakeholders, and working on a report which will offer recommendations to deal with the opioid crisis. He’s also calling on the federal government to step up and provide financial aid for rehabilitation services for addicts in Barrie.