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The provincial government has backed off from the location of an overdose prevention site in Vancouver.
Earlier this month, Vancouver Coastal Health announced that downtown Vancouver’s only overdose prevention site has been moved to a new location due to public safety concerns.
After a temporary closure of the Thomas Donaghy Overdose Prevention Site (OPS), it was to be relocated to Helmcken Street.
However, B.C.’s Health Minister, Josie Osborne, said she, along with Terry Yung, Minister of State for Community Safety and Integrated Services and MLA for Vancouver-Yaletown, have heard concerns from the city, local businesses and community partners about the location of the site.
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Vancouver Mayor opposes new Overdose Prevention Site
“Vancouver Coastal Health will not proceed with the overdose-prevention site at 900 Helmcken St. at this time, and there is currently no planned date for opening,” Osborne said in a statement on Wednesday.
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Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Osborne said it is understandable that businesses and residents in the area have expressed concerns.
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“It’s a tough time for businesses right now so we’re going to reset the table, invite all the partners back and we’re gonna work collaboratively on a solution that helps provide the services that we need, these critical health services and the proper mitigation and management plans so that businesses and residents can have the faith and confidence that we can do this work together but we’ve got to sit down at the table and do it,” she said.
Osborne added that an overdose prevention site is needed in the downtown core.
“This is the second-highest rate of overdose deaths in the general Vancouver area,” she said.
“They are critical life-saving services. We need them. But we need to do this in a way where partners are at the table and understand how it will be managed, what the mitigation is for impacts that people are concerned about. And so we’re gonna sit down and do that work together.”
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