Protesters rally at Cambridge City Hall to oppose CTS site
Posted May 2, 2019 12:45:00 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Dozens of protestors gathered Wednesday evening in the rain to express their concerns over Consumption and Treatment Services sites.
CTS sites are designed to provide a safe environment for drug users to consume illegal drugs, in an effort to reduce the risk of overdosing.
Cambridge has been involved in preliminary research about the prospect of one of these sites coming to the city, but protestors are opposed to any further exploration of the issue.
Connie Coady, one of the protest organizers, says this is not a case of “NIMBY.”
“If I was concerned about it being in my backyard I could move,” she says. “We are compassionate people, we feel with CTS sites are a band aid solution, we want to improve peoples lives.”
Coady would like to see more extensive drug programs that solve the issue at it's core, something she feels CTS sites fail to do.
The protest was set to occur at the same time as a planning study open house was set to begin, but that meeting was cancelled.
Cambridge Mayor Kathryn McGarry came out of City Hall to speak with protestors about their concerns, but said if they want alternative solutions they need to keep the pressure on.
“I encourage all of you to apply the pressure to the provincial government to offer more comprehensive solutions to the drug problem.”
Coady also said she was pleased with the turnout for Wednesday's rally in spite of the heavy rainfall.
