Latest news with #PurposeSociety
CBC
8 hours ago
- Health
- CBC
New West to vote on controversial overdose prevention site
New Westminster council and residents are divided on whether to extend the permit for a safe injection 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.
The Province
3 days ago
- Health
- The Province
Life-saving or too disruptive? Overdose prevention site divides New West ahead of vote
While some support the site's harm-reduction services, others argue it has contributed to rising levels of street disorder, theft and safety concerns in the area. The Health Contact Centre on Begbie Street in New Westminster is an overdose prevention site operated by Purpose Society on behalf of Fraser Health. It has been operating on a temporary permit since 2021. Photo by Jason Payne / PNG A tense vote is expected at New Westminster City Council on Monday, as councillors consider whether to renew a temporary permit for an overdose prevention site in the city's downtown core. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors The proposed 18-month renewal has sparked debate among residents and business owners. While some support the site's harm-reduction services, others argue it has contributed to rising levels of street disorder, theft and safety concerns in the area. The Starship Health Contact Centre at 40 Begbie St., operated by the Purpose Society in collaboration with Fraser Health, opened in April 2021 after council approved the original permit in March that year. The centre offers services including witnessed drug consumption, harm-reduction supplies, referrals to health and addiction treatment programs, and drug testing. Nelson Santos, who owns Lisa's Bridal just around the corner, says shoplifting at the boutique has noticeably increased since the site opened. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'There was always a little bit of street disorder with the Union Gospel Mission down the street, but it was managed,' Santos told Postmedia on Friday. 'Since the safe injection site opened, there's definitely been an escalation.' 'Things like cellphones have been swiped off the top of store counters, and our staff report having uncomfortable encounters with (drug users) while commuting to and from work,' Santos said. Alongside an increase in shoplifting, Santos said her employees routinely clear drug paraphernalia, including needles, from the front of their storefront before opening. 'I see the value in the site,' the business owner said. 'But clustering these sorts of services together in a two-block radius has made it hard for local businesses. We often have people camped out in front of the store. It's starting to feel like this area is the next Downtown Eastside.' Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Other residents and business owners have written to the city expressing concerns about safety, cleanliness and the impact on foot traffic in the area. But not everyone agrees that the site is to blame. 'We haven't had a lot of negative effects from it,' said Katey Wright, co-owner of Origins Chocolate Bar, which is a 400-metre walk from the overdose prevention site. 'What we have seen is people using inhalants occasionally outside our store, and once or twice someone has camped overnight in an alcove near our front doors.' Wright told Postmedia on Friday that she hopes to see the site's permit renewed, saying that 'humans in the grips of homelessness and addiction are way more important than the success of local businesses.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'I think there's a way that we can all help look after each other,' the business owner added. Under the current temporary permit, the site operates daily from 8 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., staffed by a coordinator and four workers. A municipal 'Good Neighbour Agreement' requires on-site security and measures to minimize disruptions, including litter and criminal activity, to nearby residents and businesses. Lynda Fletcher-Gordon, head of the non-profit that runs the centre, says Fraser Health data shows that each month, an average of three overdoses are reversed inside the facility, and another five are reversed outside. 'We understand the discomfort and the worry about what it does to the neighbourhood. However, the answer is not to move them around, pushing them from place to place,' she wrote in a letter to New Westminster city council. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Council reviewed the permit renewal last month, with the mayor and most councillors backing amendments to allow the site to continue operating. Two councillors opposed the move. 'The site has saved hundreds of lives and referred thousands of people to treatment they need, including detox and other health care services,' said Mayor Patrick Johnstone. Johnstone voiced his support for the overdose prevention site Friday, saying that homelessness downtown existed before the centre opened. 'People who consume drugs want to be near the centre because they know there is help if they overdose,' he explained. 'This has created some external concerns and challenges for the community, but it's a life-saving service.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The mayor said the city is actively working with Fraser Health to add an inhalation site to the Health Centre, noting that Monday's permit renewal is an interim step while a permanent location is secured. He cautioned against misconceptions about drug use near the centre, saying, 'If you don't want to see people smoking drugs out in public, then an indoor health contact centre is the place for them. It's about helping people move past their addiction when they are ready.' Noting that the Health Contact Centre is the only overdose prevention site between Maple Ridge and Vancouver, Johnstone is advocating for broader provincial investments to expand addiction treatment, housing, and social supports across the Metro Vancouver region. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Simply put, the cure for homelessness is homes, and the cure for untreated mental health and addictions is health care. We cannot turn away any services during crises like these,' he said. The debate over where to locate overdose prevention sites has flared up in other Metro Vancouver cities. In Richmond, following widespread community backlash, Vancouver Coastal Health announced last February that it would not open a supervised consumption site in the city. sgrochowski@ Read More
