The Supreme Court of Canada will soon decide whether the Insite facility in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside can stay open.

Here’s an excerpt from a Canadian Press article:

The mayors issued an open letter Tuesday to Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government saying the facility saves lives, reduces the transmission of deadly diseases and increases the use of addiction treatment.

“Insite has proven beyond a doubt its value for our community,” said [Vancouver Mayor Gregor] Robertson in a news release.

“We are calling on the federal government to reconsider its position opposing Insite.”

Listen to my half-hour radio documentary about Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, which features interviews about Insite. This documentary has won third place in the ‘Documentary or Public Affairs’ category of the 2011 National Headliner Awards. The documentary has also recently been selected as a finalist for the Livingston Awards. Details on the Livingston Awards:

“The Livingston Awards for excellence by professionals under the age of 35 are the largest all-media, general reporting prizes in American journalism. They are also unusual in judging print, broadcast and online entries against one another, a practice of increasing interest as technology blurs traditional distinctions between rival branches of the profession.”

More info on the court fight to keep Insite’s doors open.