The B.C. government has decided not to open a proposed overdose prevention site in Downtown Vancouver. In a letter to Mayor Ken Sim and city council, Health Minister Ravi Kahlon confirmed he has instructed Vancouver Coastal Health to “stand down” on the OPS at 900 Helmcken St. On May 27, then-health minister Josie Osborne indefinitely paused its opening, citing feedback from the city, local businesses and community partners. This OPS was supposed to fill a void left by the closure of a similar facility on Howe Street, which shuttered Jan. 31. While he made the decision not to open the facility, Kahlon’s letter highlighted the importance of addressing elevated rates of both fatal and non-fatal drug poisonings in the area. “Additional services are required to address these harms as well as harms associated with public drug use,” he wrote. “Since the province declared a public health emergency due to toxic drug deaths, the Ministry of Health has supported the implementation of overdose prevention services as a core support for people who use unregulated substances to both reduce the risk of fatal drug poisonings and provide alternatives to public drug use and disorder.” Kahlon said the decision was made in mutual agreement with VCH, and with consideration of feedback from meetings Vancouver-Yaletown MLA Terry Yung had with local business owners. The health minister added that he looks forward to meeting with city officials and other partners to discuss how they can “ensure this vulnerable population has the supports they need.” Mayor’s stance Sim has long opposed the Helmcken Street OPS, at one point saying he would “use all tools available” to stop it from opening, and welcomed Monday’s news in a statement posted online. “I want to thank the province for listening to the voices of Vancouverites … this is what happens when a community comes together,” he said. “While crime is trending down, Vancouver continues to face serious challenges with street disorder, open-air hard drug use, severe mental illness, and addiction.” Sim’s statement points instead to increasing secure treatment and involuntary care beds as his preferred direction. The mayor is requesting public opinion through a plebiscite this fall, with plans to include two questions on the Oct. 17 municipal election ballots—one of which asks whether the city should “formally ask” the province to convert parts of the current St. Paul’s Hospital building or a similar site into a secure involuntary care facility. “Vancouverites will have their voices heard through the public safety plebiscite, giving people the opportunity to provide a clear mandate for lasting change in how we enforce open-air hard drug use in our shared public spaces and how we care for people experiencing severe mental health and addiction challenges,” he wrote in Monday’s statement. Both Kahlon and B.C. Premier David Eby have questioned the need for the plebiscite, saying the province already supports the proposal. With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Andrew Weichel
