A new Federal Bill (C-37) could cause some friction between local Town Councils and the Federal Government.

One part of the proposed legislation says the Federal Health Minister can impose "safe injection sites" on Town's and Cities.

The other part of the Bill increases funding and resources to law enforcement officials, and the Canadian Border Services when it comes to combating the illicit drug trade, in particular Fentanyl.

Authorities will be able to test different sized packages and also ban the importation of pill presses unless they're for a documented reason.

However it's the part of the Bill dealing with "safe injection sites" that has Foothills MP John Barlow up in arms.

"The second part of the bill gives the Federal Minister of Health the authority to approve safe injection sites in any municipality in the country," Barlow says. "My concern with that part of the bill is she is taking that authority away from community members, Town Councils, and local police services. There would be no opportunity for them to provide any input on that decision, I think its very heavy handed and top down, I think communities themselves should be the ones making that decision."

Barlow says there's no question there's a fentanyl crisis, but when making a decision like this, the people who will be dealing with the consequences of a safe injection site, whether positive or negative, should be making the decision.

"I'm very confident that the Minister of Health in Ottawa has never been to Okotoks or High River, and doesn't know the people of Okotoks and High River. It shouldn't be her telling them what's best for us, it should be us as the residents of the Foothills informing the Federal Government what we think is best for us, if we want one, and where it should go."

Barlow says the opposition Tory's are frustrated with the Liberal's decision to tie these two aspects of the bill together, and they've repeatedly asked for the Bill to be split in to two parts more than once.

"It's gong to slow it down because we don't support a part of it, so it's going to have to be debated and it's going to take months to go through the system. If saving lives is really their goal, split the bill in two, let us get the additional resources through as quickly as possible to start saving lives, and hopefully have a positive impact on the fentanyl crisis."

Barlow encourages residents with concerns to send letters to Federal Health Minister Jane Philpott, or to contact him directly.