Red - Team 5 - Negotiating a Safe Injection Site

Description

Our scenario involves the opening of a new safe injections site in a Toronto neighbourhood that is relatively close to the university area. The goal is to provide a space for users to inject in the presence of trained professionals, instead of publically. The site may assist in the decrease of unsafe and unsanitary drug use, as well as overdoses. Our professional team, including social workers, a nurse, and a psychologist, are supportive of the creation of a safe injection site because of the benefits it may provide for the service users. The issue of conflict comes from the differing views of community members. The University Board of Directors, professors, students, and parents may be afraid of the potential demographic that will be in close proximity to the University campus. They may have preconceived notions and beliefs or safety concerns for those who belong to the school. Additionally, many people may believe that it could be placed anywhere else. Such as the phenomenon, “Not in my Backyard” where residents of a neighbourhood designate a new development as inappropriate or unwanted for their local area. This is where the role of the urban planner comes in, as they will have to consider all requests from the public before the safe consumption site actually gets built.