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Montreal Gazette
a day 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.'
