Permanent Yaletown overdose prevention site approved by Vancouver City Council

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — A controversial overdose prevention site in Yaletown has been approved by Vancouver City Council.

The space at Seymour and Helmcken Streets will be operated by the RainCity Housing and Support Society, which began operating a mobile prevention site in the same area last summer.

The site has been a contentious topic for people living in the area worried about a spike in crime or discarded needles.

But Councillor Christine Boyle says people are struggling and need access to a safe, indoor space.

“Lives are at stake because of the toxic drug supply. So this was a decision that we needed to make. It’s supported by mountains of evidence, both in terms of health impacts, as well as studies on how sites like this actually improve public safety and neighbourhoods,” she says.

As people in Vancouver continue to be impacted by COVID-19 in various ways, Boyle explains the site will alleviate several pressures the neighbourhood is feeling.

“We were seeing a high number of deaths due to the toxic drug supply. So, the choice of location is based on all of those statistics and where we can meet the needs of most people who are at risk.”

While supporters have argued that the site is desperately needed in the neighbourhood, Tuesday’s vote wasn’t unanimous.

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Not a ‘black and white issue’

Seven councillors voted in favour and all four Non-Partisan Association councillors opposed the motion.

City councillor Melissa De Genova voted against the site and explains she supports a safe supply, but the neighbourhood needed more of a say.

“We’re in a public health crisis. Aside from the pandemic, the overdose crisis was declared before that. I’m very much supportive of clean supply, but I think that until we have clean supply — and even when we have clean supply — we still need to make sure people who are using drugs are safe and that we remove that stigma. And it’s really important also for people who may have misconceptions of what that is, or may feel that there’s a correlation between public safety, and harm reduction — that we address our fears,” she says.

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De Genova explains out of the 115 speakers that had signed up to address council on the matter, some said they were worried about their safety.

“I’ve heard from parents who were afraid to bring their children to their favourite Park — the only piece of green space in their neighbourhood. Emery Barnes Park was their living room,” she says.

“I heard from parents whose children had picked up needles, or that they’d had to sweep for needles themselves in a playground. I know that the overdose prevention site may help that, but I think there was feeling concerned that they weren’t consulted, that they weren’t heard from before this move forward.”

She adds, while she is worried the community may not support the decision, she will be working with people to move onward.

“I think that harm reduction and public safety can both be priorities, and I think that we both have, we have to make both of them priorities because the four pillars, drug strategy doesn’t work without all four pillars. And I think that that’s something we have to remind ourselves of.”

Meanwhile, Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart took to Twitter to say he’s grateful that a majority on council listened to science and support harm reduction plans that save lives.

The site approval comes as the province sees a slight drop in monthly overdose deaths in September.

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