Health Canada has authorized three supervised injection sites in Montreal.
Canada currently has two drug injection sites in Canada — both in Vancouver — and existing laws allow such sites to operate only in exceptional circumstances.
Mayor Denis Coderre and the Quebec government have long advocated the opening of safe-injection sites, as a way of reducing the number of injection drug overdoses.
The first site will be at Cactus Montreal on Sanguinet St., a community organization that has operated a needle exchange program since 1989.
There would be one other in the downtown Ville-Marie borough, and one in the east-end Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough.
Currently, applicants for new injection sites must provide medical and scientific evidence of benefit, along with letters from provincial health ministers, local police and regional health officials.
In December, the Liberal government announced legislative amendments designed to remove 26 requirements for supervised injection sites introduced under the previous government.
Health Minister Jane Philpott says the changes will make it easier for supervised injection sites to be established while adhering to criteria set out by the Supreme Court of Canada.
Her department says international and Canadian evidence shows consumption sites, if operated properly, can save lives without increasing drug use or crime in surrounding areas.