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7| W aterloo C hronicle | T hursday,June 28,2018 w aterloochronicle.ca 1362 VICTORIA STREET N. KITCHENER 519.742.9188 TUES-FRI 9AM-9PM SATURDAY 9AM-6PM SUNDAY 10AM-5PM W W W . . C O M 4 DAYS ONLY! CANADA DAY SALE! THURSDAY 9-9 FRIDAY 9-9 SATURDAY 9-6 SUNDAY10-5 SWISS-MADE LAMINATE 95¢per sq ftREG 2.99 WOOD-GRAIN TILE 97¢per sq ftREG 4.99 MDF PRIME BASEBOARDS 67¢per lin ft3-7/8" 12.3MM THICK LAMINATE $137per sq ft REG 2 .99HOT DEAL! 12' X 12' CARPET REMNANTS $99each SOLID BAMBOO $177per sq ft REG 3.99HANDSCRAPED! 4" X 16" WALL TILE $187per sq ft REG 6.99NEW PRODUCT! GLASS BACKSPLASH $199per sq ft REG 6.99HOT PRICE! FRIEZE CARPET PLUS NO TAX $157per sq ft REG 3.19PLUS NO TAX! SOLID 3/4" HARDWOOD $297per sq ft REG 5.99OAK OR MAPLE MODERN LEDGESTONE $397per sq ft REG 8.99WOW! HOT BUY! AREA RUGS! NO TAX ON ALL IN-STOCK from from from from 12X24 CLICK VINYL TILES $177per sq ft REG 4.996.3 THICKfrom from from from from 6MM THICK CLICK VINYL $197per sq ft REG 4.99100% WATERPROOFfrom from from from PLUS NO TAX The Region of Waterloo has taken the next step for- ward in creating super- vised injection sites in Kitchener and Cambridge. The community servic- es committee agreed last week to move forward with the specific site plans and consultations for two locations in Kitchener - one being 115 Water St. N. and another to be deter- mined once confirmed with the landlord. In Cambridge, there will be consultations around the two proposed sites - 150 Main St. and 149 Ainslie St. N., despite the City of Cambridge's inter- im control bylaw that will essentially block the sites from being created in the urban cores of Cambridge. All residents and affect- ed businesses within a 250- metre radius of the sites will be involved in the con- sultation process. After the summer coun- cil break, in either August or September, staff will re- turn to council with the re- sults of those consulta- tions, as well as costing and proposed operational layouts for those facilities. The motion passed al- lows the process to still move forward, and leaves flexibility to hear recom- mendations for other sites in Cambridge, granted they satisfy the provincial and federal requirements. Coun. Sean Strickland tabled the motion of mov- ing forward with the plan. "Based on the evidence provided by public health, to me, we have no option, but to keep the process go- ing," said Strickland. Regional chair Ken Seiling floated the first motion, which would have deferred the process and caused a delay. "If we believe this to be an emergency or crisis, I believe deferring it and moving it down the road is not a legitimate option," said Strickland. Strickland proposed that the motion add a note that regional council stay as flexible as possible when it comes to alterna- tive sites and meet with premier-designate Doug Ford as soon as possible to determine the viability of the project moving for- ward. Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic added a friend- ly amendment to the mo- tion to include more social services in the scope of the final plan, which is expec- ted later this year. "I'm not proud of the sit- uation that we're in, par- ticularly because of the ac- tions of Cambridge city council," said Vrbanovic. "This is our collective problem and there are some hot spots and we col- lectively need to solve it." Aside from Cambridge, the region is also in limbo with the provincial gov- ernment. The previous Liberal government had a program that allowed for funding for capital and op- erational funding for su- pervised injection sites, but PC premier-designate Doug Ford has vowed that he will not support super- vised injection sites. The estimated cost of the pro- ject if the province does not support it financially is unknown. Cambridge resident and school board trustee Cindy Watson asked com- mittee to use a hospital as a supervised injection site, rather than having it in communities. She said the site has to be open 24/7 and the hospital is the best lo- cation for the services. Watson also raised con- cerns with how consulta- tions failed to take into ac- count community con- cerns. "They believe that con- sultation is not part of the process, but it's being used to change the minds of oth- er people in Cambridge," said Watson. Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic questioned whether or not having su- pervised injection sites in the core will have as dra- matic of an impact on the area as many think. Sherif Louka, who is a eight years clean from opioid use, said he used to be one of the people that pedestrians would avoid. "As a junkie, I can let you know that we are clean. We will use this site and walk. As a junkie, if I want to use this site, there is still hope in those peo- ple," said Louka. "We need to really help these people and give them hope to recover," said Lou- ka, who has created a not- for-profit that will bridge the gap between with- drawal management and long-term treatment. "Coming off of opiates was the hardest thing I will ever do in my life," said Louka. "These people are somebody's father, some- body's mother, somebody's everything. As long as they are alive, they can be rebuilt. But as soon as peo- ple die, there's no amount of money ... that can bring them back." Community services committee chair Geoff Lo- rentz said when it comes to issues of public health, politics can't play trump to the region's responsibility to serve its residents. "We're all members of the board of health," said Lorentz. "It's different then being political. You can defer things and move things around and worry about the politics and that's what politicians do, especially in an election year. "But I really wanted to remind them that as the board of health, we are re- quired to ensure that we make good decisions for the health of our commu- nity. I'm very proud of our people. They did a great job. I know in my heart we made the right decision and we need to move for- ward." In 2017, an estimated 85 people died from opioid overdoses in the region. The trend this year is slow- ing, although it is not clear if that's because of a de- crease in use or increased prevalence of naloxone use as an antidote. LOCAL Region agrees to move forward on supervised injection sites ADAM JACKSON ajackson@waterloochronicle.ca