The official closing of an overdose prevention facility has occurred in Vancouver.
The closure is a result of the City of Vancouver decision not to extend the lease for the Thomus Donaghy Overdose Prevention Site, which was announced in July 2023.
The choice to not extend the lease for the Seymour Street facility was due to concerns from the community about adverse effects outside the site, according to Coun. Peter Meiszner.
He stated that everyone acknowledges the OPS as a vital service that is urgently required, but there have been concerns regarding safety, camping, cleanliness, and disorder outside the facility.
“We acknowledge the life-saving nature of these facilities and the necessity of having these services in Vancouver, and I am fully supportive of that,” said Meiszner.
“However, they need to be managed in a responsible manner with consideration for the neighborhood.”
A new overdose prevention site will be established at Howe Street, close to Helmcken Street, at a location that already offers low-income housing and shelter spaces.
It will be operated by RainCity Housing and Vancouver Coastal Health.
During the transition from the old facility to the new one, a temporary mobile overdose prevention site has been activated.
The temporary stop-gap facility is situated at the former site.
A Vancouver drug advocate expressed that shutting down the old site is inefficient.
“Closing one facility and opening another … think about the tremendous resource waste,” said Vince Tao, a advocate with the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users.
“How can we ensure that a similar situation won't reoccur? We should be expanding these services, not closing them.”
More information about the new facility is expected to be released by the local health authority later on Wednesday.
— More details to follow …
