WATERLOO REGION — Public consultation sessions on supervised consumption sites begin this week in Kitchener and Cambridge.

First are two invitation-only events for residents and business owners near the proposed consumption and treatment services sites, followed by four sessions open to the public being held into next week.

"The purpose of these consultations is to hear people's concerns," said Grace Bermingham, manager of harm reduction for the region.

A Toronto consultant is facilitating the sessions, which are expected to be about three hours long. Following a short presentation on the process to date, people will break into smaller groups to have conversations and there will be an open forum at the end.

The goal is to make people feel free to express their views, knowing that speaking in front of a large group is intimidating for some. Those who don't want to go to a meeting or can't make it can fill out an online survey.

"We don't want people to feel uncomfortable participating," Bermingham said.

Four sites are currently being considered: 115 Water St. N., 150 Duke St. W. and 105 Victoria St. N. in Kitchener, and 150 Main St. in Cambridge.

Cambridge resident Maureen Boyce questions why people need to register.

"What meeting is public, but you need to register for it? It's no longer public," Boyce said. "You should be able to walk into the meeting."

Boyce registered for a Cambridge session, but said the meeting information wasn't easy to find on the region's website and they weren't being publicized.

"This is a very hot topic," Boyce said. "In my eyes, they would want as many people there as possible."

Bermingham said the region is "working as hard as possible to make sure people hear about the sessions. We're looking forward to hearing from people."

Registration is required because there's a capacity of 100 people at the venues, and light refreshments will be served since the meetings are held over dinner time. The region doesn't know who signs up as it's hosted on a third-party platform and registration is immediate.

"If there's space, you're in. Period," she said. "If people need more dates, we'll make more dates."

An agency hand-delivered invitations for the neighbourhood sessions to all addresses in a 250-metre radius of the proposed sites within days of the Jan. 8 meeting when regional council voted to proceed with community consultations.

Bermingham said the region heard from some people who said they didn't get an invitation, however the agency reported no unsuccessful deliveries. Some secure-entry buildings asked that the letters be left at the door for residents to pick up and they may not have been aware of that.

The Kitchener invitation-only session is Jan. 30 and then the public sessions are Feb. 5 and 7. In Cambridge, the invitation-only session is Jan. 29, followed by public sessions on Jan. 31 and Feb. 4.

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People can call 519-575-4400 ext. 5613 to register.

jweidner@therecord.com

Twitter: @WeidnerRecord