By Canadian Press

Trudeau appears open to safe opioid supply proposal in Vancouver: mayor

Nov 21, 2019 | 12:01 PM

OTTAWA — Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appeared open to a proposal from the municipality to provide millions in funding for a safe supply of opioids to reduce overdose deaths.

The city’s health agency has applied for $6 million from Health Canada to allow for the safe distribution of diamorphine — a narcotic painkiller more commonly known as heroin.

Stewart says he found it encouraging that Trudeau didn’t shut the door to the idea during a meeting the two had this morning in Ottawa.

He says on average, one person dies every day from an opioid overdose in Vancouver, where residents are calling for more urgent action.

The mayor says he was also pleased to learn Patty Hajdu is the new health minister, as she has experience with harm-reduction strategies, and hopes to sit down with her about the city’s proposal sometime soon.

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Vancouver was the first jurisdiction in Canada to open supervised injection sites in the early 2000s and Stewart says he wants to keep exploring other innovative ways to solve its deadly opioid crisis.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 21, 2019.

The Canadian Press