North Bay taking steps to be one of Ontario's first safe supply sites for drug users

The people involved with North Bay's community drug strategy are looking to make the city one of Ontario's first "safe supply" sites. The move would enable drug users to access legal prescription versions of drugs that are often purchased illegally.

The Community Drug Strategy North Bay and area is working on the proposal to the Ministry of Health.

Toronto, Ottawa and London are the only three cities with one of these facilities.

North Bay public health nurse Patricia Cliche, who alsochairs the community'sdrug strategy, says a safe supply site would provide drug users with legal prescription versions of drugs. And that would hopefully eliminatethe danger of street drugs, as most are mixed with toxic and potentially deadly substances.

"The aim is to replace that illicit, contaminated fentanyl that people buy on the street," she said.

"And we're replacing it with prescribed opiates, with a known dose and a known purity. Because that's the problem they don't know what they're taking, and it's killing people."

Cliche says a safe supply site is different from a safe consumption site, where users bring their own drugs and use them in the presence of trained staff who can help in the case of an overdose.

Cliche says she is hopeful the proposed facility would help to reduce opioid deaths and overdoses in North Bay.

"We have no idea what's in [street drugs]. We keep hearing about blue heroin, we hear about yellow fentanyl now on the streets. We have no idea what the strength is, what is in them," she said.

"Our overdoses are skyrocking."

She notes that, before anything is approved, the Community Drug Strategy would need support from the community.