There are 39 government authorized SCS in Canada as of July 2019. 19 in Ontario, 9 in British Columbia, 7 in Alberta and 4 in Quebec An exemption to controlled substances law under Canadian Criminal Code is granted inside the facilities, but drug possession remains illegal outside the facility and there is no buffer zone around the facility. Canada's first SCS, Insite in Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, commenced operation in 2003. In August 2020, the largest SCS in North America ARCHES Lethbridge located in Lethbridge, Alberta closed shortly after province revoked their grant for misuse of grant funds. It had been open since February 2018 and after it opened, it started causing calls for police service and opioid related EMS calls to the immediate vicinity. Three weeks after its closure, the city already noticed a 36% decline in opioid related requests for emergency medical service.