The federal government announced yesterday it will appeal the B.C. Supreme Court’s ruling that InSite can’t constitutionally be shut down — an announcement that was no surprise to those who support the clinic.
Mark Townsend, executive director of Portland Hotel Society, which operates InSite, said he assumed there would be a “knee-jerk reaction” and an appeal.
“It’s sad, it’s disappointing, but there’s nothing new to this,” he said. “The (Tories) aren’t getting the answer they like. They’re so out of touch and … so unable to listen to our premier or minister of health or even their own scientists.”
The supervised injection site began as a pilot project that was allowed to operate under an exemption from the Controlled Drugs And Substances Act.
Its exemption would have run out on June 30, but on Tuesday the Supreme Court gave the federal government until next year to rewrite the laws allowing harm reduction initiatives like InSite.
Townsend said he’s confident the feds will lose their appeal.
“The evidence is pretty much overwhelming and they’re not allowed to add any new evidence to the case.”
