Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim vows to use 'all tools' to block overdose prevention site

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim has vowed to block the opening of a planned overdose prevention site in the city's downtown, promising to "use all tools available" in trying to do so.

Sim, whose ABC party holds seven of the 11 seats in Vancouver's city council, said Tuesday that an urgent motion was to be moved during its meeting later that day that would direct staff to prevent the site from opening.

The mayor said such tools could include permitting, licensing, servicing and legal settlements.

“We have seen the disastrous impact when OPS sites are introduced without the right planning, oversight and accountability,” Sim said in a statement, adding that local businesses and residents share his concerns.

The backlash comes after Vancouver Coastal Health announced earlier in the day that it had secured 900 Helmcken St. as the new permanent location for its overdose prevention site for Vancouver's downtown.

The health authority said overdose prevention services had been limited to temporary service for months, after the previous site for the Thomus Donaghy Overdose Prevention Site closed on Jan. 31.

The new location is set to open soon after the lease term begins on June 1, and Vancouver Coastal Health said it will be operated by social services provider RainCity Housing.

"The location of an overdose prevention site is determined by public health data and demonstrated need for these life-saving services," the health authority said in a statement. 

"The local health area of Vancouver City Centre … records the second-highest rate of overdose deaths in the Vancouver Coastal Health region and the second-highest number of calls to B.C. Emergency Health Services."

The health authority pointed to an order issued by B.C.'s health minister in 2016, after the province declared a public health emergency, which directs regional health boards and B.C. Emergency Health Services to implement overdose prevention services in any place required.

Sim said local stakeholders have not been engaged properly in the health authority's decision, and many have expressed concerns about safety in areas surrounding such sites.

He also criticized the provincial government's handling of the toxic drug crisis, saying that the province and Vancouver Coastal Health should instead focus on "previous commitments regarding mandatory care."

"The status quo doesn’t work, and frankly, it’s never worked,” Sim said while calling the current provincial approach, which also includes safer supply, "disastrous."

"(Premier David Eby) committed to 400 mandatory care beds over a year and a half ago and yet, the city of Vancouver has seen zero beds. That’s completely unacceptable and irresponsible when we are in the middle of a crisis," Sim said.

Vancouver council last year approved Sim's plan to temporarily halt net new supportive housing projects in the city.

Vancouver Coastal Health has defended the sites, saying that overdose prevention is "evidence-based" and can reduce risks of death while also connecting people in need to treatment.

The health authority said previous city centre overdose prevention sites had seen more than 149,000 visits and responded to 480 overdoses since 2021.

"Since the site’s closure in January, a temporary mobile OPS has been operating to provide a very limited number of services in the area," Vancouver Coastal Health said.

"However, this interim solution is unable to appropriately meet the need, and the health authority has been looking for a suitable new location." 

A number of other locations had been considered, including on the St. Paul's Hospital campus, but Vancouver Coastal Health said that location did not have enough space, and the hospital is also moving out within a year.

The health authority said the new location offers outdoor spaces for observed inhalation of drugs, described as the most common method of consumption.

"The new (Thomus Donaghy Overdose Prevention Site) location provides a number of benefits, including its proximity to VCH’s Three Bridges Community Health Centre, which provides primary health care, mental health and treatment, and public health services, including outreach teams," the health authority said.

Sim said he will not support efforts that "fail both those who are struggling and the communities around them."

“Vancouver is ready to be part of real solutions that connect people to care, improve public safety and rebuild trust with communities,” he said. “Vancouverites deserve better."

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward