Two new supervised-injection sites have been approved in Surrey. And another will go ahead in Vancouver, according to an announcement from Health Canada.

Vancouver Coastal Health was the applicant and will fund the supervised-injection facility at Lookout Society Powell Street Getaway (528 Powell Street).

It's been used as an overdose-prevention site since December.

Its six supervised-injection booths will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. once renovations are completed in June.

Fraser Health was the applicant and will fund the two in Surrey: Quibble Creek Sobering Assessment Centre (13670 94A Avenue) and Lookout Society—135A Street (10697 135A Street).

They're scheduled to open next month.

Quibble Creek will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week. The site on 135A Street will offer supervised-consumption services from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m.

The announcement comes after 931 illicit-drug-overdose deaths in B.C. in 2016 and another 339 in the first three months of 2017.

Less than a year ago, Surrey mayor Linda Hepner was steadfastly opposed to supervised-injection sites in her city. But the scope of B.C.'s overdose crisis has her singing a different tune nowadays.

"Supervised consumption services in Surrey will help save the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in our community, while supporting those who are ready to address their addiction with connections to treatment services on their journey to recovery,” Hepner said in a news release issued by Fraser Health.

During the recent provincial election campaign, the B.C. Liberal party refused to provide a candidate to speak to the Straight about B.C.'s overdose crisis.

Supervised-injection sites are only permitted if the federal government grants an exemption under Section 56 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.

When these three new facilities begin providing service, there will be five legal supervised-injection sites in B.C. The first two were Insite and the Dr. Peter Centre in Vancouver.