Safe consumption sites a ‘matter of life and death' in Montreal, consultations hear
Quebec Politics
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The director of a much-discussed safe consumption site in Montreal delivered a heartfelt plea to the Quebec government on Wednesday, warning about the potential consequences of its proposed legislation on the sites.
During consultations on the matter, Maison Benoît Labre's Andréane Désilets stressed how preserving access to the sites is 'literally a matter of life and death.'
'Throughout everything that will be said during these consultations, there is one undeniable reality,' Désilets told elected officials. 'Women, men — and often young people in extremely vulnerable situations — are dying from drug overdoses almost every day across Quebec.'
Désilets was among those participating in consultations in Quebec City concerning Bill 103, the government's attempt to regulate how and where safe consumption sites can operate in the province.
Tabled by Social Services Minister Lionel Carmant last month, the bill seeks to bar the sites from operating within 150 metres of a school or daycare. It would also give the government the authority to extend certain restrictions to organizations serving unhoused people.
In an interview before Wednesday's hearing, Désilets said she feels the legislation is being rushed through and that it fails to take into account the impact it will have in cities such as Montreal.
Though most safe consumption sites offer a variety of harm reduction services, they are intended to prevent overdoses by allowing people to consume their drugs under the observation of trained staff.
There are five such sites operating in Montreal, not counting organizations that offer mobile services. According to the city, over the last five years, they have served more than 28,000 people.
Given Montreal's density and its high number of daycares and schools, Désilets argued respecting the 150-metre radius is all but impossible in the city.
The Maison Benoît Labre, which also offers transitional housing and drop-in services, is currently located 143 meters from an elementary school.
Under the new legislation, it would need to relocate its safe consumption services within four years of the bill passing — a move the organization has estimated to cost at least $6 million.
'The costs are just tremendous, all for seven metres,' Désilets said, noting she has already begun looking for nearby alternatives.
Désilets is calling on the province to offer financial compensation to any sites that would be forced to move. She also wants the government to help them through the relocation process to ensure services aren't interrupted.
Responding to Désilets during the consultations, Carmant said the seven-metre difference in Maison Benoît Labre's case isn't the main issue. Rather, it's how close the site is to the school in general that raises concerns.
'It's really the proximity that is an issue,' Carmant said, adding that he's visited the centre several times.
Maison Benoît Labre opened in a new location in St-Henri last spring. It initially faced strong opposition from neighbours, who say its opening led to an increase in drug consumption and crime in the neighbourhood.
Désilets said many of those tensions have been resolved over the last year through concerted efforts, but she fears needing to move could undo all that progress.
'We would need to restart that entire process,' she said.
At the end of her testimony on Wednesday, Désilets was asked what would happen if services in the Sud-Ouest neighbourhood were to be reduced.
She pointed out how there's already a lack of similar services in the western part of the city, despite the needs being identified for years.
Then she explained what Maison Benoît Labre sees on a day-to-day basis.
'We resuscitate people every day,' Désilets said. Many of them, she noted, are young adults who find themselves on their own after emerging from youth protection without adequate support.
'It doesn't make sense,' she added. 'It find it awful, and it's what's coming.'
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Montreal Gazette
14 hours ago
- Montreal Gazette
Relocating safe-consumption sites could worsen situation, Drouin tells hearing
By Montreal's public health director says the Quebec government should increase its support of a controversial safe-consumption site in St-Henri, not force it to move through new legislation. During consultations on the matter this week, Mylène Drouin spoke in support of Maison Benoît Labre, suggesting money should be put toward increasing its operating hours instead of relocating it. 'In the context of Maison Benoît Labre, if we relocate the supervised consumption services, in my opinion, we will worsen the situation,' Drouin told elected officials. 'Instead of investing in its relocation, I would add hours on weekends and evenings to ensure consumption can truly take place in a safe, dedicated location,' she added. Held over two days in Quebec City this week, the consultations explored Bill 103, the Quebec government's recent attempt to regulate where safe-consumption sites can operate in the province. Tabled by Social Services Minister Lionel Carmant in May, the bill seeks to bar the sites from operating within 150 metres of a school or daycare. It would also give the government the authority to extend certain restrictions to shelters for unhoused people. Under the bill, any sites operating within 150 metres of schools or daycares would be forced to relocate within four years. Maison Benoît Labre, which also offers transitional housing and drop-in services, told the consultations this week that relocating its safe-consumption services would cost at least $6 million. Throughout her testimony, Drouin stressed how the sites effectively prevent overdoses, limit infections and ease cohabitation tensions by reducing public drug use. She urged the government to reconsider any regulations that would make it harder for them to operate, noting they already follow strict oversight rules. She also suggested implementing a grandfather clause for those that already exist. 'We do not want to slow down their implementation,' Drouin said. 'Or undermine the agility we have in developing services to respond to this evolving crisis.' In response, Carmant asked Drouin if she has any concerns about how the sites near schools or daycares might add undue stress on parents or affect children's development. He specifically asked about the suggestion not to relocate the services at Maison Benoît Labre. 'What should we tell the parents,' he asked. 'We continue to involve them and raise awareness,' Drouin answered, noting that while local parents have expressed concerns, they've also shown empathy toward the situation. Although Montreal has five of the 12 safe-consumption sites in Quebec, when asked, Drouin noted that the provincial government did not consult the city's public health department while drafting the bill. In an email response on Thursday, a spokesperson for Carmant's office said the bill was drafted in collaboration with Quebec's public health department. Regional public health departments, she added, were allowed to submit briefs and were heard during the consultations. 'We have reviewed the briefs and they are currently being analyzed by our teams.' While Bill 103 mainly focuses on safe-consumption sites, it also allows for the provincial government to enforce stricter regulations on shelters and services for unhoused people. In a brief prepared for the consultations, the city of Montreal warned the province against legislating a single approach to address both the unhoused and drug overdose crises. 'Conflating these two types of services, or these two crises, can lead to inappropriate policies,' the city says in the document. According to the city, over the last five years, the five safe-consumption sites on its territory — not counting similar mobile services — have served more than 28,000 people. While much has been said about Maison Benoît Labre, the city noted how most of the sites have been operating in Montreal since 2017 without issue. 'The majority of these resources are well integrated into the urban fabric,' it said. Overall, given the density and high number of schools and daycares in Montreal, the city argues that the province's 150-metre rule would make it nearly impossible for new sites to open. It concluded that the bill would not only risk worsening the overdose crisis but may also lead to more public drug use, heightening social tensions and health risks. 'By conflating issues related to supervised consumption and homelessness, and by imposing uniform and centralized constraints,' the document says, 'this bill could exacerbate the problems it seeks to solve.'
CTV News
2 days ago
- CTV News
Maison Benoît Labre may have to move safe consumption site 7 metres under proposed Quebec law
The Maison Benoît Labre says it is willing to conform with new rules proposed in Bill 103 if the government commits to supporting the organization. The bill was tabled on May 6 to 'regulate supervised consumption sites in order to promote their harmonious cohabitation with the community.' Consultations are ongoing. The Saint-Henri non-profit's biggest obstacle will be to meet the new requirement for safe consumption sites to be at least 150 metres away from schools and daycares. The Maison Benoît Labre made headlines last year when neighbours complained about the day centre for homeless people opening the city's first supervised drug consumption site, saying they felt unsafe. The new bill seemed to be targeting the organization, according to its director. Andréane Désilets, director of the Maison Benoît Labre, told the National Assembly that several steps have been taken since to integrate it into the neighbourhood better. Those include consulting with the borough, public health authorities, Montreal police, other community organizations, and other community organizations, going door-to-door, and more. The organization has been helping vulnerable and homeless people in Montreal's Sud-Ouest borough for over 70 years. It provides meals, psychosocial support, over 30 transitional housing units, a 24/7 day centre, and outreach. 'Matter of life and death' Maison Benoît Labre would have to move its safe consumption site just seven metres to meet the new rules while keeping its transitional housing units and day centre where they are. Désilets stressed that there cannot be a break in services while the organization looks for a new space as 'it's a matter of life and death.' She said the housing crisis, affordability crisis and opioid crisis are all compounding and have gotten worse in recent years. 'People are dying of overdose every day all over Quebec, men, women, young people, all of whom are extremely vulnerable,' she said Wednesday. 'Supervised consumption sites save lives and prevent mischief. Experts in health and safety have agreed on this. We already saved several lives.' Désilets said she does not believe moving a block away will increase the social acceptability of the safe consumption site or solve cohabitation issues, but she is willing to work with officials. However, that takes time and resources. Désilets said she's been visiting potential sites and talking with local entrepreneurs, but acquiring a new space would cost about $3.5 million – which Maison Benoît Labre doesn't have. A move like this can't be done in four years, she added. It took the non-profit seven years to move into its current four-storey building near Atwater market, according to Désilets. The Maison Benoît Labre is asking the government to accompany organizations that will have to relocate and provide the necessary financial support to maintain services during the process. 'I believe this law will pass, so from there how do we make sure we're working together and make sure community organizations don't shoulder all the responsibility?' Désilets told journalists at a news scrum after the consultation. Break in services would be 'catastrophic' Social Services Minister Lionel Carmant's department would have new powers to approve or refuse new supervised drug consumption sites under the proposed law. Carmant said everything will taken under Santé Quebec's charge and the province will have to contribute financially if issues arise. However, centres like the Maison Benoît Labre may not get the full amount they're asking for. He added that Quebec is in favour of sites offering evidence-based harm reduction services, saying the government has a duty to provide safe spaces for everyone who uses the sites as well as those who live nearby. Québec Solidaire's Guillaume Cliche-Rivard, the MNA for the area, said he was willing to commit to accompanying the Maison Benoît Labre and urged Carmant to do the same. 'Two people die of an overdose every day in Quebec … A break in services would be catastrophic,' he said. In the meantime, Désilets said more is needed to sensitize the public to issues related to homelessness and the opioid crisis to promote cohabitation. 'People are scared of what they don't understand,' she said. The Mouvement pour mettre fin à l'itinérance à Montréal also took part in Wednesday's consultation and criticized the bill's lack of homelessness prevention measures. They accused the government of overly politicizing the issue, saying there are already effective frameworks in place and that the bill is a 'band-aid' measure. 'There are success stories of social cohabitation but they are not shared with the public,' said director Michele Chappaz.
CBC
2 days ago
- CBC
Montreal supervised drug site says forced move under proposed Quebec law could cost $6.6M
A supervised drug consumption site in Montreal's Sud-Ouest borough that could be forced to move if a proposed Quebec law is adopted said the change of location could cost an estimated $6.6 million. Under Bill 103, supervised drug consumption sites can't be located within 150 metres of a school or daycare. Maison Benoît-Labre, which houses a homeless shelter and supervised site, would have to move given its proximity to Victor-Rousselot elementary school. "We're at 143 metres at this point, door to door," said Andréane Désilets, Maison Benoît-Labre's executive director, stressing that if the centre was seven metres further away it would be compliant. Désilets made the comments in Quebec City, during consultations into Bill 103, tabled by Social Services Minister Lionel Carmant. The bill comes in response to concerns over supervised drug consumption sites, including the Maison Benoît-Labre. Parents and nearby residents flagged concerns about the area, including many saying they've witnessed open drug use, aggressive behaviour and sexual conduct from frequenters of the day centre, including when children are around. The back door of the centre borders a park used by students of Victor-Rousselot elementary school. Désilet admitted cohabitation has been an issue, especially when the supervised site opened just over a year ago. "We did work very hard with the community," she said, reiterating how a change of location isn't the way to improve things. "Everyone sat down and thought of a better plan and now there is a big [improvement] at this point." WATCH | Quebec moves to ban safe consumption sites near schools, daycares: Quebec moves to ban safe consumption sites near schools, daycares 29 days ago Duration 2:13 Bill 103 would bar supervised drug use sites from operating within 150 metres of a school or daycare. If passed, the bill will require two of these sites to move, including the Maison Benoît-Labre in Montreal. Nonetheless, Désilet said the group will comply with the law, but added there needs to be more government support. Carmant said the bill clearly states that everything will be taken charge of by Santé Québec, the Health Ministry's new operational arm. "If there are financial issues, the government will have to contribute obviously," he told reporters. "We've always been supporting these centres. We're the ones financing them." He specified, however, that the government would provide it's own budget regarding any costs associated to a change of location. "We have to confirm that the numbers that they are providing are correct and this will be done through Santé Québec," Carmant said. Désilet said a move is a complicated process and fears its impacts are being underestimated. "It's hard. It's hard on the staff. It's hard on everyone," she said, "It's very complicated to also maintain the services, make sure that there's no overdoses at the same time — at the new location at the old location." As it stands, supervised drug consumption sites located near schools would have four years to move. Guillaume Cliche-Rivard, Québec Solidaire's social services critic, said the minister needs to make amendments to improve the legislation. He was critical of the bill saying the responsibility for cohabitation rests on the shoulders of the community groups who run the sites, but they don't have the means or funds to do that. "Quebec needs to be a partner with those [organizations]," he said.
