Latest news with #Bill103
Montreal Gazette
15 hours ago
- Health
- 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.'
Montreal Gazette
2 days ago
- Health
- Montreal Gazette
Safe consumption sites a ‘matter of life and death' in Montreal, consultations hear
Quebec Politics By 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.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Rally in opposition to Bill No. 103 "whose primary purpose is to regulate supervised consumption sites in order to promote harmonious coexistence with the community"
TIOHTIA:KE, QC, MONTRÉAL, June 2, 2025 /CNW/ - On the eve of the parliamentary debates on Bill 103, the Association Québécoise pour la Promotion de la Santé des Personnes Utilisateurs de Drogues (AQPSUD) and the Association pour la Défense des Droits et l'Inclusion des personnes qui Consommation des drogues du Québec (ADDICQ) are joining forces to denounce a direct attack on the rights and health of people who use drugs. To make their demands heard, a rally will be held this Tuesday, June 3, at 2 p.m., at the Fontaine de Tourny in front of the National Assembly. While they talk, we die On May 6, 2025, Lionel Carmant, Health and Social Services Minister, introduced Bill 103. Since then, many groups have expressed their opposition to a bill that unnecessarily increases the administrative burden on organizations working in harm reduction and homelessness. Again, elected officials have chosen to talk about us, without us. Even though supervised consumption services have proven to be effective in the fight against the overdose crisis, the minister is proposing a legislative framework without any consultation, thereby jeopardizing human lives and the fragile social safety net that supports them. Bill 103 also shifts responsibility for "social co-existence" to organizations, while reinforcing the stigma of people who use drugs and those who are homeless. It reflects a chronic mistrust of community expertise and challenges its autonomy. It is time for the voices of those most affected to be heard, because it is they—we—who die when the government complicates access to services. Time is running out to destigmatize History has shown that prohibition drives people to use in isolation, which increases the risks. Too often, supervised consumption sites are the only safe spaces available. By compromising their operations, Bill 103 threatens to force many of them out of business, putting lives at risk. We are calling for the complete abandonment of this bill and a clear shift toward the decriminalization of drugs. There is an urgent need to invest heavily in affordable housing accessible to everyone and in harm reduction services, and to ensure the full inclusion of people who use drugs in the development of policies that affect them. "The perception persists that repressive approaches will overcome drug consumption or drug use. It is time to change the paradigm and come up with more appropriate solutions. " -Mario Gagnon, Chief Executive Officer of Point de Repères, at a citizens' meeting organized by L'Engrenage Saint-Roch: SOURCE AQPSUD View original content: Sign in to access your portfolio
Cision Canada
3 days ago
- Health
- Cision Canada
Rally in opposition to Bill No. 103 "whose primary purpose is to regulate supervised consumption sites in order to promote harmonious coexistence with the community" Français
TIOHTIA:KE, QC, MONTRÉAL, June 2, 2025 /CNW/ - On the eve of the parliamentary debates on Bill 103, the Association Québécoise pour la Promotion de la Santé des Personnes Utilisateurs de Drogues (AQPSUD) and the Association pour la Défense des Droits et l'Inclusion des personnes qui Consommation des drogues du Québec (ADDICQ) are joining forces to denounce a direct attack on the rights and health of people who use drugs. To make their demands heard, a rally will be held this Tuesday, June 3, at 2 p.m., at the Fontaine de Tourny in front of the National Assembly. While they talk, we die On May 6, 2025, Lionel Carmant, Health and Social Services Minister, introduced Bill 103. Since then, many groups have expressed their opposition to a bill that unnecessarily increases the administrative burden on organizations working in harm reduction and homelessness. Again, elected officials have chosen to talk about us, without us. Even though supervised consumption services have proven to be effective in the fight against the overdose crisis, the minister is proposing a legislative framework without any consultation, thereby jeopardizing human lives and the fragile social safety net that supports them. Bill 103 also shifts responsibility for "social co-existence" to organizations, while reinforcing the stigma of people who use drugs and those who are homeless. It reflects a chronic mistrust of community expertise and challenges its autonomy. It is time for the voices of those most affected to be heard, because it is they—we—who die when the government complicates access to services. Time is running out to destigmatize History has shown that prohibition drives people to use in isolation, which increases the risks. Too often, supervised consumption sites are the only safe spaces available. By compromising their operations, Bill 103 threatens to force many of them out of business, putting lives at risk. We are calling for the complete abandonment of this bill and a clear shift toward the decriminalization of drugs. There is an urgent need to invest heavily in affordable housing accessible to everyone and in harm reduction services, and to ensure the full inclusion of people who use drugs in the development of policies that affect them. "The perception persists that repressive approaches will overcome drug consumption or drug use. It is time to change the paradigm and come up with more appropriate solutions. " -Mario Gagnon, Chief Executive Officer of Point de Repères, at a citizens' meeting organized by L'Engrenage Saint-Roch:
Montreal Gazette
08-05-2025
- Health
- Montreal Gazette
Front-line organizations sound alarm after Quebec moves to limit safe consumption sites
By Organizations on the front lines of the overdose crisis sounded alarm bells Thursday over a bill that would ban safe consumption sites within 150 metres of schools and daycares — and could potentially extend those same restrictions to any centre offering services to unhoused Quebecers. A letter signed by 25 local and national organizations, including the Association des intervenants en dépendance du Québec (AIDQ) and Doctors of the World Canada, says the bill 'could hinder access to essential services' for those who consume drugs or are unhoused. Tabled by Social Services Minister Lionel Carmant Tuesday, Bill 103 follows controversy over the 2024 opening of Maison Benoît Labre, a supervised drug consumption and transitional housing centre close to Victor-Rousselot elementary school in St-Henri. If passed, the legislation would ban safe consumption sites within a 150-metre radius of a school or daycare and give the minister authority to extend that ban to centres serving unhoused populations, such as shelters. It would also grant the minister veto power over proposed facilities, regardless of proximity to a school or daycare. A similar ban on supervised consumption sites near schools and daycares was passed by the Ontario legislature in 2024. In March, an Ontario judge suspended its implementation pending a charter challenge. The Coalition Avenir Québec government's bill comes at a time when overdose deaths in the province are at a high. The Institut national de santé publique du Québec reports that overdoses killed 645 people in 2024, a 20 per cent increase from 2023. 'Our initial reaction was to be stunned,' said AIDQ chair Louis Letellier de St-Just. 'This bill makes no sense and follows no logic.' 'We've weakened the work of safe consumption services, the work of organizations caring for unhoused people,' he said. 'At 150 metres, we don't have much room to manoeuvre in a city like Montreal.' With the door left open to the ban extending to any services for unhoused people and an option for the minister to veto any proposed safe consumption site, front-line organizations are unsure of how the bill would be applied, he said. 'Personally, I'm deeply irritated,' said de St-Just, who co-founded the harm reduction organization Cactus Montreal and has worked in front-line social services for over 36 years. Carmant didn't consult with any of the 25 organizations that signed the letter, he said. He said he understands concerns about safe consumption sites operating near schools and daycares, but that the bill is the wrong approach. 'These organizations aren't ignorant, they're not insensitive to the difficulties that their clientele can introduce to an environment,' de St-Just said. But 'they need to go where services are required.' Ultimately, 'these are health services' that are being threatened, he said. Those providing services that respond to homelessness and the overdose crisis 'are not responsible for those crises. On the contrary, we mitigate their effects.' Maison Benoît Labre opened in an area where homelessness already existed, de St-Just said, and took dozens of people off the streets. 'Of course there are improvements to be made. But instead of passing a bill, we could have established directives, had discussions that could have facilitated social cohesion.' Front-line workers are bearing the brunt of the blame, he said, 'but it's thanks to them that we're able to diminish loss of life.'
