Hospitals may be 'only option' for consumption sites, Cambridge Mayor McGarry says

In one of her first acts as Cambridge mayor and a regional councillor, Kathryn McGarry asked regional staff to look at the option of putting supervised consumption sites at area hospitals rather than in standalone clinics in downtown cores.

McGarry says the opioid crisis has hit her city hard, but she's also heard from residents and businesses who don't want supervised consumption sites or similar services in downtown cores.

"I heard loudly and clearly that the hospital is the only option that many people feel is viable. We know that studies have been done in the past about the feasibility of a hospital site. I think the move here is to study what a separate clinic would look like in the geography of the hospital," McGarry said in a year-end interview with Craig Norris, host of The Morning Edition.

"There's several hot spots in downtown Galt. So no matter where a consumption site may go, there's going to be a large population that isn't served by this clinic," she said.

Pot and Queen's Park

The year-end interview with CBC covered a range of topics, including retail cannabis stores.

The city has until January 22 to decide whether to opt out of allowing retail pot stores. She's seen information about what it could mean for the city and McGarry says council will be discussing the issue at a special council meeting in January.

"We'll be looking to the advice of our experts, including the police," McGarry said. "Council is doing their homework now."

McGarry also discussed being a former Liberal cabinet minister and how that could affect her relationship with the current Progressive Conservative government.

Listen to the full interview with Cambridge Mayor Kathryn McGarry:

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