Municipal leadership is seen as a key component in a municipality having a strong and successful drug strategy.
Chatham-Kent council took a step forward at their Monday council meeting in moving towards creating and implementing a municipal-led drug strategy. The next step for Chatham-Kent council will be whether they will back their actions with money come budget time.
Council approved a report from administration on the next steps to update and implement a municipal drug strategy. The report was prepared with the assistance of local agencies and stakeholders.
Chatham councillor Brock McGregor wanted the municipality to develop a drug strategy because issues associated with substance use in Chatham-Kent significantly impact municipal services, including fire and emergency services, policing, building development services, and employment and
social services.
McGregor said it’s important for council to understand what type of financial commitment the municipality will have to undertake before they develop to a drug reduction strategy. Chatham-Kent estimates that it will cost $110,000 annually to achieve a municipally-led drug strategy, which is something that will be decided on during the Chatham-Kent 2020 budget process.
It is estimated that injection drug use in Chatham-Kent is four times greater than the national average.