Quebec backs away from safe injection sites
Last Updated: Thursday, August 21, 2008 | 3:27 PM ET
CBC News
Related
Internal Links
Quebec will hold off on plans to create a safe injection site, said the province's new health minister.
Officials with Yves Bolduc's office confirmed he has no intention of pursuing negotiations to build a safe injection site in Montreal until more impact studies are done.
His predecessor, Dr. Philippe Couillard, announced in June that Quebec was keen to open such a site in Montreal, after observing similar facilities in other parts of the world, including Vancouver, home to Canada's only injection centre.
At the time, Couillard said supervised injection is a valuable method for treating drug addicts.
But a spokeswoman for Bolduc said there isn't enough concrete proof that supervised injection sites help addicts.
The declaration comes after federal Health Minister Tony Clement blasted physicians who support supervised injection, criticizing them during a speech to the Canadian Medical Association in Montreal this week.
Clement said support for safe injection sites raises serious moral and ethical concerns, and is akin to doctors letting cancer patients die even if they have a treatable tumour.
Share Tools
Top News Headlines
- CP Rail negotiations 'stalled,' union says
- Negotiations between Canadian Pacific Railway Lt. and the union representing 4,800 striking locomotive engineers and conductors have come to a "stall" after the government appointed mediator walked out at 2 p.m. ET, a union spokesman says. more »
- Syria massacre toll up to 108, UN monitor says
- The UN Security Council is holding an emergency meeting Sunday to discuss the recent massacre in the Syrian town of Houla, in which 108 people died, many of them children under the age of 10. more »
- Ryder Hesjedal wins prestigious Giro d'Italia
- Victoria, B.C., native Ryder Hesjedal has become the first Canadian to win one of the cycling world's three Grand Tour events, wrapping up the 2012 Giro d'Italia with an excellent performance in the final stage in Milan. more »
- Neighbour may have helped find missing kids in Mexico
- Two Winnipeg children who had been missing for nearly four years were found in Mexico after a man raised concerns about his neighbour, according to a private investigator. more »
Latest Health News Headlines
- Alcohol addiction team wants higher energy drink prices
- Mixing alcohol with caffeine-rich energy beverages is a trend that is continuing to rise in Canada, despite repeated warnings that the combination is unsafe, a new report warns. more »
- How curry spice helps the immune system kill bacteria
- A spice used in curry dishes helps to prevent infection and now scientists think they've got a lead on how. more »
- Calgary EMS station opens to the public
- Curious Calgarians got a look at a northwest EMS station this morning. more »
- Yellowknife toddlers catching hand, foot and mouth virus
- An outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease in Yellowknife is causing many toddlers and their parents some major discomfort. more »
FEATURED HEALTH
- Teen struck by lightning in Ottawa dies
- Missing Winnipeg children found in Mexico
- Quebec tornadoes cause millions in damage
- Montreal protesters march in peaceful defiance
- Syria massacre toll up to 108, UN monitor says
- Woman's remains found in hockey bag on Cape Breton river
- Everest team unable to bring down Toronto woman's body
- WWE apologizes to Brazil over Canadian's flag stomp
- Lady Gaga nixes Indonesia show after threats
