New West to vote on controversial overdose prevention site
City council will vote Monday evening on whether to extend the permit of the Starship Health Contact Centre operated by the Purpose Society and Fraser Health on Begie Street.
The agenda contains 32 letters submitted by community members. About half are in support and half are opposed.
Supporters say it saves lives while critics argue it's linked to more crime and disruptive behaviour in the area.
New Westminster Mayor Patrick Johnstone is among the site's supporters.
"It really provides a valuable service to the community that I don't think we can go without," Johnstone said Monday morning on CBC's The Early Edition.
The motion asks that the permit for the site be extended for 18 months, or until an alternate overdose prevention service is operational, whichever is sooner.
When council approved the site back in 2021, it was unanimously supported.
But Johnstone says support has shifted since then, partially because the city now has a new council, and partially because drug use has changed in the city.
He says the centre is able to support people using drugs by injecting or consuming orally, but the majority of those using drugs in New West are now doing so by inhalation, and many do so near the centre.
"They do want to be near where they know there's life-saving care, and so they are spending their time outside nearby," said Johnstone. "People have a lot of concerns about that."
One letter from the Community Living Society, which supports adults who have developmental disabilities, says staff and clients often feel less safe when visiting their New West office, which is located near the overdose prevention site.
It says staff and visitors have experienced violent incidents and theft.
"We believe [extending the permit] would add to the current problems and therefore we are opposed to it being approved," said the letter.
Johnstone says the city is working on opening an inhalation centre in a different location for a longer-term solution, but in the meantime, the current one needs to stay open.
He says the site has done more than just supervised consumption. It has connected more than a thousand people to various health services, including detox programs.
"Ultimately, closing this site is not going to address all the ills that are being faced in urban areas right now. It will cause more deaths and it won't really fix any of the problems," he said.
Safe consumption sites have caused controversy in other Metro Vancouver jurisdictions. Hundreds protested the opening of a drug consumption site in Richmond last year, which was ultimately halted, and the year prior, the City of Vancouver shut down an overdose prevention site in Yaletown.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
30 minutes ago
- CTV News
New training for Sask. pharmacists will allow for medication substitutions
Prescription drugs are seen on shelves at a pharmacy in Montreal on March 11, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz New training in Saskatchewan will allow pharmacists in the province to substitute medications under certain conditions. According to the province, pharmacists will be able make faster adjustments in specific cases, such as supply disruptions or shortages of a prescribed drug, allowing them to prescribe an alternative. 'Pharmacists are trusted, highly skilled health professionals, who, in many communities, are the primary access point for health-care services,' Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill said in the news release. 'Giving pharmacists the ability to prescribe alternative medications means Saskatchewan patients can benefit from more timely and accessible health care.' In addition to supply shortages, pharmacists will also have the ability to prescribe an alternative drug in other cases, including when a drug is withdrawn from the market, if the patient's safety is at risk, or if the patient is unable to take the drug and would benefit from a different one or a different way of taking it. Pharmacists will be required to take the training, meet competency requirements, and follow mandatory guidelines under the Saskatchewan College of Pharmacy Professionals. 'Pharmacists are the health system's medication experts. By expanding pharmacists' scope and enabling them to replace a patient's prescribed medication, the government is increasing health system capacity for Saskatchewan residents,' Pharmacy Association of Saskatchewan CEO Michael Fougere said in the release. Nine other provinces and territories have implemented similar policies, according to the news release. Pharmacists in Saskatchewan were first given the authority to prescribe for four minor ailments in 2012, with that list growing to more than 30 conditions. Saskatchewan College of Pharmacy Professionals
CTV News
3 hours ago
- CTV News
‘Like a ticking time bomb': Saskatoon seeing more cases of Dutch elm disease
The City of Saskatoon is renewing calls for residents to be vigilant in the fight to prevent the spread of Dutch elm disease, after several cases were identified in multiple neighbourhoods across the city. On Monday the City identified positive cases in three elm trees in the Montgomery neighbourhood, two cases in Riversdale, one in Caswell Hill and an unspecified number of cases in City Park and Sutherland. Some cases are near where previous cases have been identified since Saskatoon's first case of Dutch elm disease in 2015. Others are in areas that have been un-affected until now. 'Kind of all over the city, we're seeing it in various places,' said Cate Francis, a parks superintendent with the city's urban forestry division. 'It's likely due to wood being moved around.' Francis said a combination of complacency with ongoing regulations and a lack of understanding from the general public has caused cases to increase over the last number of years. Following a positive case of the disease, the City immediately removes all positive trees and looks for stored elm wood in the immediate area. Samples are collected from symptomatic trees within one kilometre of an infected tree, and staff sweep a one-kilometre radius for any stored wood once a Dutch elm case is confirmed. Despite continued efforts reminding people not to store elm wood, city crews have already destroyed more than 4,000 kilograms of seized wood this summer. 'One log is almost like a ticking time bomb,' Francis said. 'If that fungus that causes Dutch elm disease [is] on that log and elm bark beetles get into that log, they get the fungus on them, and they will fly to nearby healthy trees to feed and transmit that fungus to all of those trees.' Dutch elm disease is caused by a fungus spread by elm bark beetles that breed under the bark of dead or dying elm wood. According to the province's Forest Resources Management Act, potential fines can reach $250,000 for individuals and $1,000,000 for corporations, or imprisonment of up to five years for transporting or storing elm wood. Residents are also encouraged to avoid pruning elm trees from April 1 to August 31, as freshly-cut wood attracts the beetles — but that hasn't stopped the disease from flourishing in recent years. 'What started off as a big Dutch elm disease scare has turned into a Dutch elm disease reality,' says David Kearns with Kearnsy Consulting and Educational Services. Kearns says Saskatoon's urban canopy has become susceptible to certain diseases after years of drought or dry conditions. He adds another factor is the cost of removing a tree. Some trees can be removed for as little at a few hundred dollars while more mature trees could cost $7,000 to remove. Saskatoon began allowing people to dispose of elm wood for free in 2024, but Kearns says many people have a problem seeing a stressed tree in their backyard affecting an entire community or beyond. He says there are thousands of trees across the city that may have to be cut down if the disease continues to spread. 'It's not just a municipal problem, it's everybody's problem,' he said. 'I think a lot of people aren't seeing the connection between the tree in their backyard and the hundreds of thousands, if not tens of millions of dollars the City of Saskatoon is going to be on the hook for controlling this problem.' The city says American elm trees with Dutch elm disease can start showing symptoms as early as June. Typically the leaves will start to wilt and turn yellow, then curl and turn brown.
CTV News
4 hours ago
- CTV News
COVID-19 vaccine covered for Alberta health-care workers
Calgary Watch Alberta will now cover the cost of COVID-19 vaccinations for health-care workers. Hannah Lepine reports.
