Interior Health Authority wants your thoughts on a safe consumption site in Kamloops and Kelowna

(BRENDAN KERGIN / iNFOnews.ca)

October 24, 2016 - 9:00 PM

KAMLOOPS - The Interior Health Authority wants the public’s thoughts on supervised consumption.

A website for feedback on the controversial public health project has gone live to gather the thoughts of the general public. The goal is to collect opinions specifically from Kamloops and Kelowna residents on the subject and sites in their communities.

Comments received before Nov. 18 will be sent to Health Canada, which is responsible for approving supervised consumption sites. Information received through the form won’t be confidential, but comments can be anonymous.

Kamloops and Kelowna are both being considered for new safe consumption sites, which may be similar to Vancouver’s Insite. Health authority staff have discussed different options with the cities, including a mobile site, integration with a service that already exists and a stand alone site.

The issue has become a priority as more people in both communites die of overdoses, many connected to fentanyl. The health authority had hoped to release a list of potential sites in mid-October, but hasn't. In Kamloops, the idea has received support from council, though many questions about where a service would go remain.

For more on fentanyl, click here.

For more on safe consumption sites, click here.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Brendan Kergin or call 250-819-6089 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.