Cambridge councillors will visit 3 cities with safe injection sites in coming weeks

In the coming weeks, two Cambridge councillorswill be visiting three cities that have safe injection sitesto gather information and feedback that will then be presented to council at the end of February.

Councillors Frank Monteiro andMike Mann will be travelling to Toronto Wednesdayafternoon before heading to Ottawa next week andVancouver in February.

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"What we're doing is going to different places who have [safe injection sites] and see how it's working for them," Monteiro told CBC News.

Councillors will be touringa safe injection site in Toronto Wednesdaywhere they will be speaking to staff and individuals who use the safe injection site to get their feedback.

Monteiro and Mann will also question people wholive nearby to gather feedbackon whathaving a safe injection site in their neighbourhood is like.

On Thursday,councillors will also hear response from Toronto businessesandToronto Police on safe injection sites before they return to Cambridge on Friday.

Informed decision

Cambridge Mayor Doug Craig said that Monteiro and Mann's visits to other cities is part of the region's public healthinitiative ofpossiblyopening asafe injection site in the region.

"It's very important that to get out in front of it," he said. "The people of Cambridge need to have a sense of security about what's going on and what are the implications of safe injection sites."

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Monteiro and Mannwill putting together a final report after theirvisit in Vancouver, said Craig.

The report will bepresented to Cambridge City Council and be sent to regional council at the end of February, where public health will also present a report.

"As we go along in this, we will see that the report will in fact give us the information to make an informed decision," Craig said.