A group of Prince George students are hoping to take the city's temperature
regarding safe injection sites.
Beginning today, University of Northern B.C. political science students will be fanning out across the community to ask if people support, in principle, safe injection sites similar to Vancouver's InSite.
The three-minute survey was developed by the third-year class as a way to teach students about political research and public opinion polling.
"[The survey topic] was brought up by one of the students, based upon discussions about a needle exchange site in Prince George," said class polling representative Marissa Olson.
Injection-related illnesses are believed to be a drain on local resources, she said.
"We believe the health implications are quite dramatic on the Prince George
medical system," Olson said.
"It was important to us that this project be more than a learning exercise," said political science major Kassidy Woods.
"We wanted to study something that would be relevant to Prince George and
northern B.C."
Last fall, the Supreme Court ordered an exemption to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act to allow Vancouver's safe injection site to remain open indefinitely.
The decision concluded that the federal government's attempts to shut down the facility, which was providing medical services to intravenous drug users since 2003, violated the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
At the time the decision came down, Northern Health representatives said there were no plans for a supervised injection site locally.
The students will begin polling Saturday at Canadian Tire and the Prince George Farmers' Market and plan to be in locations around the city including at the university, in the Hart and around downtown throughout the rest of the week.
The results of the survey will be released during an April 2 press conference.
"We want to make sure the community can get the results," Olson said, adding the community hasn't been asked the question so directly in the past. "What they do with the results is their choice, but we think [the information] should be open to everyone."
