Inhalation center close to a school: “imperative that there is social acceptability”, says Carmant

The contested supervised drug inhalation center which could open its doors near an elementary school in the Saint-Henri district of Montreal must be accepted by the community and must not be imposed, thinks the minister responsible for Social Services, Lionel Carmant , while the project has not yet received the green light.

“A supervised inhalation center (CIS) is an important service to reduce harm but it is imperative that there is social acceptability in the neighborhood. We cannot impose a CIS in a neighborhood so close to a school,” his office said in a written statement sent to the Duty.

The Maison Benoît Labre project, which will open its doors this fall, also includes 36 housing units for homeless people with mental health or drug addiction problems. However, parents are concerned that a center allowing users to consume their own substances would be opened less than 100 meters from their children’s school and are calling for a public review of the project. An information evening is planned for Tuesday evening at the Victor-Rousselot school to discuss it.

“Meetings are planned between the organization, the primary school and certain parents today in particular. We will continue to monitor developments in the matter in the coming days,” the firm said, adding that it was “aware of the fears associated with the supervised inhalation center project.”

The national director of public health (DNSP) has still not granted an exemption for the opening of such a center, specified the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS) in Duty, and which is necessary for it to see the light of day. The request will be analyzed as soon as it is transmitted by Montreal Public Health.

Conditions must be respected, including that there be “engagement with the community and other affected service providers”. “Any concerns raised should be documented,” adds the ministry. Where applicable, the Temporary Site of Urgent Public Health Need (SBUSP) should implement relevant mitigation strategies in response to the concerns raised. »

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