A Municipal Drug Strategy Community Consultation Report has been released.
The Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit say they had around 60 community stakeholders discuss the ongoing issues and current resources related to substance use including alcohol in Brockville, at the end of January.
A discussion on the potential role a Municipal Drug Strategy could have in helping address the situation was brought up. The health unit says a Municipal Drug Strategy is a collaborative framework that recognizes the need for humane drug policies, the meaningful involvement of people who use substances and a multi sector approach spanning prevention, harm reduction, treatment and justice.
The health unit also says the organizing group has released a Community Consultation Report after a delegation presentation to Brockville City Council on July 14th, recognizing the current substance use landscape has changed significantly since the consultation day.
The presentation requested that Brockville City Council consider these as next steps:
- Endorsement of a MDS for Brockville
- Establish a MDS steering committee
- Appoint a council rep or staff liaison to steering committee
- Council members advocating at higher municipal and government tables for the recognition of the current situation and the need to act urgently and in proportion to the severity of the crisis
- Establish working groups to address all 4 pillar recommendations in the report
- Establish a joint committee to establish a permanent solution to the homelessness in the city.
For more information on municipal drug strategies, visit the health unit’s website here. The Community Consultation Report can be found here.