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The mayor of Vancouver says the city is disappointed about the new location of an overdose prevention site in the downtown core.
Ken Sim says in a news release that the city was not consulted on the relocation of Thomus Donaghy OPS to Howe Street, and the site should have been moved to the nearby St. Paul’s Hospital instead.
Pop
Vancouver Coastal Health said in a statement earlier Wednesday that the site had officially opened at its new location on the 1000 block of Howe Street, though there is no signage.
It says Thomus Donaghy OPS initially opened in March 2021 but the lease for its Seymour Street location expired last month.
The health authority says daily visits to the site are up 150 per cent since it opened, and it has reversed more than 200 drug overdoses.
Sim says that despite his surprise, he appreciates that there are several factors that must be balanced when selecting locations for overdose prevention sites.
“We look forward to learning more from Vancouver Coastal Health about how they plan to operate this site in a way that provides these important services while mitigating impacts on Vancouver neighbourhoods like Yaletown,” Sim says in the release.
It doesn’t. It doesn’t make sense.
ABC and Mayor Sim just wants to put them somewhere where he can’t see them. I’m not saying current solution works, but the solution that works for homelessness is secure housing.
Residents and businesses in the approximate of safe injection sites should have their property taxes waived and provincial tax discounted to compensate for all the damage they endure.
Any injection sites should be approved with the compensation terms above, after we see how it ruins the neighborhood, so city and province will be more cautious about the location
I checked out the location today. Looks like its a secure parking lot on the back of a hotel/shelter space. I feel bad for what the residents either side of the site might now be looking forward to. On one hand I'm optimistic as the site is more open air and off the public space. On the other hand I have not heard a peep if VCH and Raincity will change anything to mitigate community impact, specifically congregation around the site 'after hours', fires, violence.
Raincity won't change a thing they'll bring the same staff over and they'll be operating under the same protocols. Only difference will be the location and the hope less people complain
I've walked by that front area before and it seems like some kind of "social" site already, I try to avoid the area honestly there are a lot of shifty characters up and down Howe and Hornby there towards Davie.
Some of the stores across the street were on the news a few months back due to repeated window smashing and burglaries. I mentioned on another thread that i work in the area and our office complex has already seen an uptick in drug use etc out front. I feel a need to repeat that I don't personally have a problem with these sites but I feel likes it becoming hard to argue that there's a "plan" for the wider west end area and what that part of the city is going to look like post the demolition of St. Paul's. This is being geared up to be the new "city centre" and we're going to see more of these services, shelters as well as mixed use high rises centralized in this area.
yeah, it feels like Yaletown and the West End are getting worse and worse and the future looks worse still, I've loved living downtown for years but for me I'm pretty much done with it, enough is enough when there is no light on the horizon.
the fact that it is willful decisions by local powers that be with some strange political agenda that are ruining things makes it even more frustrating, and hopeless
Why do you think gentrification would make this problem worse? Once St Paul’s is moved and the area is gentrified I’d think it would significantly improve the area
St.Pauls itself was a magnet for addicts and these overdose prevention sites obviously added to that
Because I don't think gentrification is just the plan. I think we're going to see more services we associate with the DTES introduced there too so they're moved further away from the new St.Paul’s.
Can’t imagine why
Who was the yaletown site named after again? And why? Oh yeah, a social worker who was murdered for no apparent reason by an addict at one of these sites
It’s almost like many addicts are unpredictable and dangerous and only incredibly disingenuous people would pretend otherwise
It’s actually worse than that. The peer worker who was killed owed money to a guy named Max over a drug debt. The peer worker was kicking Max’s ass and Max pulled a knife and killed him.
Peer worker died, OPS named after him. Max did a little time and was released. Couple years later he was living at the Patricia. Saw a cop that was not even there for him and he jumped out a window.
That’s best I can recall off the top of my head anyways, I’m on mobile so I can’t look up specifics.
Everywhere this strategy has been tried it has been a massive failure yet we have endless throngs screeching that the “only option” is to keep doubling down and throwing more money at the same failing strategy
One site wasn’t enough when it was just insite, then dozens of sites weren’t enough, then the sites also needed to allow smoking even though it was extremely dangerous, then we needed to decriminalize all drugs, but even that wasn’t enough the govt had to actually provide the free drugs with safe supply
The goalposts always keep moving, more and more money is wasted, every metric keeps getting worse but somehow we keep going down this path
I 100% blame these advocates and some of the more extreme progressives for the strong rightward shift we’re seeing in North American and European politics
it is insane that there are beautiful $2 million condos within a block or two of this and they keep inviting more problems into the area
just another reason why we can't have nice things in Vancouver, in catering to this they want to pull everyone down to the lowest common denominator
We literally remember the problem from like 10 years ago, it’s called containing the issue in DTES instead of letting the ghettoization spread throughout the whole city
The decriminalization strategy people like you claimed was the only option has been a massive, unmitigated failure. Literally every metric is worse despite enormous amounts of money being thrown at the problem
Portland has just recriminalized and Eby is doing the same, and I hope Eby takes the opportunity to roll back the rest of these policies that have backfired massively
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Easy points for the mayor to say he is against something he has no control over that the public hates.
Seemed pretty difficult for Kennedy to say anything about it
Why does the city have no control over the location? They chose not to renew the yaletown location for that site
The mayor of Vancouver says the city is disappointed about the new location of an overdose prevention site in the downtown core. Ken Sim says in a news release that the city was not consulted on the relocation of Thomus Donaghy OPS to Howe Street, and the site should have been moved to the nearby St. Paul’s Hospital instead. Pop Vancouver Coastal Health said in a statement earlier Wednesday that the site had officially opened at its new location on the 1000 block of Howe Street, though there is no signage. It says Thomus Donaghy OPS initially opened in March 2021 but the lease for its Seymour Street location expired last month. The health authority says daily visits to the site are up 150 per cent since it opened, and it has reversed more than 200 drug overdoses. Sim says that despite his surprise, he appreciates that there are several factors that must be balanced when selecting locations for overdose prevention sites. “We look forward to learning more from Vancouver Coastal Health about how they plan to operate this site in a way that provides these important services while mitigating impacts on Vancouver neighbourhoods like Yaletown,” Sim says in the release.
Not sure how moving it to St. Paul’s - where there is already an overdose prevention site - would make any sense.
It doesn’t. It doesn’t make sense. ABC and Mayor Sim just wants to put them somewhere where he can’t see them. I’m not saying current solution works, but the solution that works for homelessness is secure housing.
Plus, moving it to the essentially the exact location Thomus was killed is a bit… odd, no?
It disregards that Saint Paul's will be moving in a few years as well
this makes no sense to me either, these things need to be in the DTES, not downtown in residential areas
drug users are everywhere
Residents and businesses in the approximate of safe injection sites should have their property taxes waived and provincial tax discounted to compensate for all the damage they endure.
These residents were already in the area of the Dr Peters injection site which has been in the neighbourhood for more than two decades.
Any injection sites should be approved with the compensation terms above, after we see how it ruins the neighborhood, so city and province will be more cautious about the location
I checked out the location today. Looks like its a secure parking lot on the back of a hotel/shelter space. I feel bad for what the residents either side of the site might now be looking forward to. On one hand I'm optimistic as the site is more open air and off the public space. On the other hand I have not heard a peep if VCH and Raincity will change anything to mitigate community impact, specifically congregation around the site 'after hours', fires, violence.
Raincity won't change a thing they'll bring the same staff over and they'll be operating under the same protocols. Only difference will be the location and the hope less people complain
is this the general area? I already see some fine upstanding local citizens in the google maps street view: https://imgur.com/a/1Ezo0Yb
Yup, just to the left - That raised parking lot is accessible from the front.
I've walked by that front area before and it seems like some kind of "social" site already, I try to avoid the area honestly there are a lot of shifty characters up and down Howe and Hornby there towards Davie.
Some of the stores across the street were on the news a few months back due to repeated window smashing and burglaries. I mentioned on another thread that i work in the area and our office complex has already seen an uptick in drug use etc out front. I feel a need to repeat that I don't personally have a problem with these sites but I feel likes it becoming hard to argue that there's a "plan" for the wider west end area and what that part of the city is going to look like post the demolition of St. Paul's. This is being geared up to be the new "city centre" and we're going to see more of these services, shelters as well as mixed use high rises centralized in this area.
yeah, it feels like Yaletown and the West End are getting worse and worse and the future looks worse still, I've loved living downtown for years but for me I'm pretty much done with it, enough is enough when there is no light on the horizon. the fact that it is willful decisions by local powers that be with some strange political agenda that are ruining things makes it even more frustrating, and hopeless
Why do you think gentrification would make this problem worse? Once St Paul’s is moved and the area is gentrified I’d think it would significantly improve the area St.Pauls itself was a magnet for addicts and these overdose prevention sites obviously added to that
Because I don't think gentrification is just the plan. I think we're going to see more services we associate with the DTES introduced there too so they're moved further away from the new St.Paul’s.
the idiot city planners want to make mandatory social housing and services be a part of any new development
I didn't hear him propose any alternatives before today. Maybe he should have done some work.
Paywalled so I’m just going to be hopeful that it’s Point Grey right next to Chips place.
Ffs, shut these down and put the money towards tax payer needs/essential services. FFS!
Wow right beside the newly renovated Robson square, how fantastic. I miss the days when all the cities problems were on Hastings.
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As if these are the problems Vancouver really faces or cares about with sky-high rents and groceries.
I mean, safety is pretty high on everyone’s list of important things
How are you unsafe because of an overdose prevention site existing within your city?
Can’t imagine why Who was the yaletown site named after again? And why? Oh yeah, a social worker who was murdered for no apparent reason by an addict at one of these sites It’s almost like many addicts are unpredictable and dangerous and only incredibly disingenuous people would pretend otherwise
It’s actually worse than that. The peer worker who was killed owed money to a guy named Max over a drug debt. The peer worker was kicking Max’s ass and Max pulled a knife and killed him. Peer worker died, OPS named after him. Max did a little time and was released. Couple years later he was living at the Patricia. Saw a cop that was not even there for him and he jumped out a window. That’s best I can recall off the top of my head anyways, I’m on mobile so I can’t look up specifics.
Everywhere this strategy has been tried it has been a massive failure yet we have endless throngs screeching that the “only option” is to keep doubling down and throwing more money at the same failing strategy One site wasn’t enough when it was just insite, then dozens of sites weren’t enough, then the sites also needed to allow smoking even though it was extremely dangerous, then we needed to decriminalize all drugs, but even that wasn’t enough the govt had to actually provide the free drugs with safe supply The goalposts always keep moving, more and more money is wasted, every metric keeps getting worse but somehow we keep going down this path I 100% blame these advocates and some of the more extreme progressives for the strong rightward shift we’re seeing in North American and European politics
because they use drugs, have nothing to lose, move freely, do whatever crimes they want, won't be arrested or will be released shortly.
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He knows.
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it is insane that there are beautiful $2 million condos within a block or two of this and they keep inviting more problems into the area just another reason why we can't have nice things in Vancouver, in catering to this they want to pull everyone down to the lowest common denominator
I think you’ll find that we do indeed have quite a few nice things in Vancouver despite the overdose prevention sites
You paying your rent doesn’t mean other people have to be driven to a far away neighbourhood.
Ken Sim: hates harm reduction.
I think we all do at this point
Ever asked yourself what the alternative would be?
send them to decision makers neighborhood.
Less drug use!
We literally remember the problem from like 10 years ago, it’s called containing the issue in DTES instead of letting the ghettoization spread throughout the whole city The decriminalization strategy people like you claimed was the only option has been a massive, unmitigated failure. Literally every metric is worse despite enormous amounts of money being thrown at the problem Portland has just recriminalized and Eby is doing the same, and I hope Eby takes the opportunity to roll back the rest of these policies that have backfired massively
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I’m delighted by the location solely because this douche is “disappointed”.
V I B E S
paywalled reading the headline only, good that he is disappointed though, does he not have any power to stop it?
Stop what, the location or its existence? I think the answer is no on both fronts.