B.C. court affirms injection site's right to exist
Last Updated: Friday, January 15, 2010 | 2:23 PM ET
CBC News
Insite, the supervised injection site on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, provides an indoor space where addicts can bring illegal drugs bought on the street and inject them under medical supervision. (CBC)The B.C. Court of Appeal has dismissed an attempt by the federal government to shut down Vancouver's supervised injection site on the city's troubled Downtown Eastside.
The federal government appealed a previous B.C. Supreme Court ruling in favour of Insite, and on Friday morning in Vancouver, the B.C. Appeal Court confirmed the injection site's constitutional right to exist.
Liz Evans, the founder and executive director of the Portland Hotel Society, which operates Insite said she welcomed the decision.
"I'm so proud of the decision that was made here this morning," Evans said. "It looks like not only have they agreed that it is our constitutional right to have Insite exist, but they've also …weighed in in support of the jurisdictional issue and that means effectively that Insite is now a provincial issue."
Supporters of the injection site said they hope the federal government won't appeal today's decision to the Supreme Court of Canada.
