Opposition as overdose prevention service sets up at Abbotsford hospital site

A mobile overdose prevention site is coming to Abbotsford Regional Hospital, but the plan is drawing criticism.

CTV News has learned that a mobile overdose prevention service is starting up on the grounds of the Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre later this month.

An internal email from Fraser Health states that beginning April 22, harm reduction workers with Lookout Housing and Health Society will be operating the service.

When contacted by CTV News, Fraser Health said that after consultations and reviewing data, it picked a location where the service was most needed.

“We did our best to go with the location which worked for everyone in the consultation process, including hospital leadership,” said medical health officer Dr. Rahul Walia.

According to the email, the service will be set up near the emergency department ambulance bays. Fraser Health said it will include a van offering space for witnessed injection and a tent where people can access witnessed inhalation services.

The same service is already provided at several other hospitals in the region.

“We have virtually eliminated overdose deaths in overdose prevention sites and supervised consumption sites, so we know that they work,” said Walia.

But critics have said what’s really need for those struggling with addiction is more access to treatment.

“To me, if you want to save lives, it starts with going into detox,” said Abbotsford South Conservative MLA Bruce Banman, who believes the region needs more detox and recovery beds.

“What the evidence is showing in other provinces is that actually, where these mobile centres, when they disappear … re-entering into treatment and detox goes up, not down. So, the early evidence is these things are actually counter-productive,” he said.

Fraser Health said it operates 457 community-based substance use beds for adults and youth. Included in this number are 40 medical withdrawal management (detox) beds, 150 intensive residential treatment beds and 195 stabilization and recovery beds.

The health authority said the median wait time for a medical withdrawl management bed is 10 days, down from 14 days last year.

Walia said the overdose prevention service is a piece of a bigger care plan.

“We look at this as a continuum of care. Harm reduction is one slice of it, and we know overdose prevention services have some of the strongest evidence for saving lives,” he said.

Fraser Health said it expects even more people to use the service than did at its former Abbotsford location, which saw 3,400 visits in 2025.

“We have also found that clients have had difficulty accessing the current location, leading to underutilization of the service,” said Walia. “Additionally, this move will help address challenges with substance use occurring in non-designated areas of the hospital.”

The City of Abbotsford said it was unaware of Fraser Health’s plans, but that decisions about overdose prevention are a provincial responsibility.

Walia said that while the health authority did not consult residents living nearby, it did consider community feedback before making its decision.

Abbotsford resident Amber Goyer said she has mixed feelings on the service and its location.

“I’m just worried about how many people who could just starting using in our parking lot … but at the same time, I have a heart and there’s so many homeless camps around here and they do need a safe place to go,” she said.

Fraser Health said the hospital site has good security.

The service will cost about $412,000 annually to fund.

According to data from the B.C. Coroners Service, so far this year, the highest number of unregulated drug deaths have been in the Fraser and Vancouver Coastal Health authorities.

In 2025, 534 people died in Fraser Heath due to unregulated drugs.