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overdose prevention site finds new location, but vancouver mayor blocks it
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vancouver coastal health announced a new location for the thomus donaghy overdose prevention site, its third in four years — but vancouver mayor ken sim voiced his opposition to the facility and nixed it on tuesday evening.
sim introduced an urgent motion at tuesday’s city council meeting after saying he’d use “every tool in the tool box” to block the proposed site at 900 helmcken st. the motion passed 7-4 with sim’s abc vancouver majority carrying the vote.
“vancouver will not support solutions that fail both those who are struggling and the communities around them,” said sim in a statement. “we have seen the disastrous impact when ops sites are introduced without the right planning, oversight and accountability.”
at a news conference early tuesday outside the proposed helmcken street facility, sim criticized the government and vancouver coastal health’s approach to addictions and mental-health crises. he said the status quo doesn’t work, and that there wasn’t any consultation with local residents and businesses before the location was chosen.
vancouver coastal health said the new site, which was identified after an extensive search, offers ample indoor space, which it hopes will reduce outdoor congregation, and an outdoor area that can be used for supervised inhalation.
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the health authority’s lease starts june 1. services by raincity, which operated the first two iterations of the site, are expected to start soon afterward.
the overdose prevention site operated for three years at 1101 seymour st. before closing in 2024 after public backlash and two lawsuits from nearby residents who said the facility contributed to crime and disorder in the yaletown neighbourhood. the city didn’t renew the lease when it expired in march 2024, prompting the move to a second location at 1060 howe st. the next month.
that facility was closed in late january after the building owner asked the health authority to shut it down amid complaints. a temporary mobile site has since been operating in the area with limited services.
coun. peter meiszner said he has heard from residents and business owners about the first two failed sites and saw firsthand ensuing safety issues, violence, and public disorder.
“i literally witnesses fist fights and violent situations outside, open drug use, a massively increase number of police calls in the neighbourhood, predatory drug dealers waiting for clients,” he said. “frankly, it’s been a disaster.”
meiszner acknowledged the ops, by providing a supervised space to use illicit drugs, improves health outcomes and prevents overdoses. “but my issue is that the people are not getting access to treatment and recovery when they need it. it’s keeping people in this cycle of addiction and gives them supplies to use and then they’re on their own and back on the street.”
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despite promises of robust community consultation, some businesses in the area were not aware of the ops coming to their street, he said, adding city hall wasn’t notified until last week.
business and industry groups also opposed the new location.
“we feel the previous ops site … was so catastrophically impactful and created so much chaos and issues on the street, and for the government to close it down and relocate half a block off, we interpret it as a broken promise,” said laura ballance, spokeswoman for the hospitality vancouver association, which represents nightclubs, bars and pubs in the granville street entertainment district.
for years, business and property owners on granville have raised concerns about the impact of three b.c. housing-owned, single room occupancy hotels and overdose prevention sites, saying they’ve contributed to safety issues, public disorder, vandalism and open drug use.
“we need (the government) to acknowledge this isn’t the right location,” she said, noting the facility’s proximity to hotels and businesses.
the overdose prevention site on seymour street in yaletown in may 2023.
jason payne
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she said the group heard from workers at st. paul’s hospital, just over a block to the west, saying they don’t want the ops on the premises because it was unsafe.
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“well, if it’s too unsafe for health-care professionals, then it should be unsafe for tourists, locals and guests.”
vancouver coastal health said the location was chosen because of its proximity to the primary health-care clinic three bridges around the corner. it said st. paul’s wasn’t a feasible location due to lack of space and the hospital’s planned move out of downtown vancouver in less than a year.
overdose prevention sites are provincially authorized spaces where trained staff supervise people using illicit drugs to help prevent and respond to overdoses, said vancouver coastal health. there are 12 ops sites operating in b.c.
the health authority said there is a need for an ops in vancouver city centre, which includes downtown vancouver, fairview, false creek and parts of kitsilano, as it has the second-highest rate of overdose deaths in the region after vancouver’s downtown eastside.
to date, the thomus donaghy overdose prevention site has recorded more than 149,600 visits and responded to 480 overdoses.
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