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Four safe injection sites in Edmonton would save hundreds of thousands of dollars in per-person-in-lifetime health costs and curtail a mounting personal toll of infections, disease and overdose deaths, says a report heading to City Hall.

The report is the work of an advisory committee struck in 2012 to study the problem of often-homeless addicts injecting in back alleys, washrooms and other public places.

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It looks at the demand and feasibility of adding medically supervised injection services to Edmonton.

The report, which goes to city council’s community and public services committee on Monday, is intended to prepare municipal politicians for the next step in 2017 — applying for a federal exemption under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and obtaining provincial support to operate safe injection sites.

The committee is developing a model that would incorporate three safe injection sites at organizations that already serve the target population while a fourth might be located at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, the report said.