Xaidsart lawyers Owen Rees, Andrea Gonsalves, and Fredrick Schumann successfully intervened inCanada (Attorney General) v. PHS Community Services on behalf the Canadian Public Health Association.
On September 30, 2011, the Supreme Court of Canada ordered the Minister of Health to grant an exemption under s. 56 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act to users and staff at Insite, a safe injection facility in Vancouver’s downtown east side, in order to comply with s. 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The unanimous decision vindicates the rights of Insite’s users to access public health services without fear of criminal sanction.
