Edmonton's first of four supervised injection sites in our city is set to open Friday, March 23.

The medical site will open to clients at Boyle Street Community Services. 

The facility is considered a medical service, making it legal for people to inject illegal drugs like heroine, crystal meth or crack cocaine with medical oversight.

When clients—who must be at least 16—first arrive they are screened, must sign a consent form, and then go over their drug and medical history.

A nurse will escort them to one of five semi-private booths that include a table of clean supplies like needles, alcohol swaps, cookers and sterile water.  Clients will then inject whatever drug they brought with them under the nurse’s supervision.

“We are able to see injecting techniques, maybe provide some education or some tips as well,” Erica Schoem, director of supervised consumption services, said.

Staff at Boyle Street Community Services has been working towards this site for six years; they say it adds another vital service where it's needed most.

“It’s the single longest project I’ve ever worked on in my working life,” Julian Daly, executive director of Boyle Street Services, said.  “It’s taken so long, but it certainly was worth it and such an important health service to have in our city.”

There has been opposition to sites like this being set up. Edmonton’s Chinese business community held a march last summer and were vocal about their concerns that all four injection sites are concentrated in the downtown core.  Staff at Boyle Street said it's simply where the biggest need is.

“I’ve been at Boyle Street for over 10 years and over those 10 years I’ve seen countless people injecting outside my office, in alley ways… places that are very unsafe for them,” Daly said.  “Often they are re-using needles in places where if they do have an overdose, there may be no one around who was able to help them or even save their lives.”

After injecting, clients also have the option to get counseling, addiction help or a space to rest.

Two more safe injection sites will open in the next few weeks, and a fourth this summer.