After obtaining permission from the Canadian Ministry of Health, narcotic drugs can now be consumed within the Safe Health Site Timmins location.

As of Monday, people with addiction can go there to inject substances they have previously obtained under the supervision of trained staff.

Patrick Novak, director of the addiction program at Timmins and District Hospital, said: "We hope to show the community as a whole that if they know someone using narcotic substances, there is a safe place for them."

"We also hope to see a decrease in 911 calls, and we hope to see fewer discarded needles and things like that in the community."

There are three consumption booths, each equipped with sterile injection supplies.

Novak said: "We have mirrors there, so nurses on the other side of the nursing station can somewhat monitor to make sure there is nothing medically wrong."

People can also get information on-site about other local health services.

Dr. Louis Marion Belmar said that the opening of the Safe Health Site Timmins is an important milestone, but more work must be done because it is only a temporary site.

Marion Belmar said: "The drug strategy in Timmins and many other organizations and community leaders are still actively working on a permanent site."

"This site takes a long time and we have to obtain special exemptions from the government and we are still actively working on that and getting closer every day to a permanent site."

Fifteen new jobs were created at the Safe Health Site Timmins, including nurses, harm reduction workers, and security staff.

Health officials said Timmins has experienced alarmingly high overdose death rates, ranking second in the province in 2020 and fourth last year.