There were some heated moments at a Richmond, B.C., city council meeting Monday night to discuss the possibility of establishing a safe consumption site at the city’s hospital.
Dozens of sign-toting protesters opposed to the initiative gathered outside city hall, joining in chants of “no drugs in Richmond.”
Those chants continued inside the council chambers, prompting Mayor Malcom Brodie to unload on demonstrators and demand calm.
“There aren’t going to be any demonstrations here, there is only one way you are going to give your input to city council, And that is you get your name on the list and you come down to this seat and you tell us what is on your mind,” the mayor said.
“If you want to be part of this discussion and part of this decision then you will respect the process, this is not some kind of a theatre or a carnival, this is a very solemn occasion when we are making important discussions and decisions … Is there anybody who doesn’t understand that?”
Brodie went on to demand that those in the gallery refrain from applauding for speakers they approved of or reacting against speakers they opposed.
Nearly 150 people were signed up to speak in person and via video call to the proposal.
If created, the site would provide people with a safe place to use substances and offer them connections to treatment or counselling services.
A motion passed by council last week asked staff to explore the benefits and challenges of implementing the site, which would be managed by Vancouver Coastal Health.
However, the proposal has been met with pushback over public safety concerns.
City Coun. Kash Heed, who put the proposal forward, said it’s made him the target of abusive emails.
“If you’re saying these people can’t consume their drugs in public, where can they consume their drugs?” Heed said.
“Guess what? We’re giving them somewhere where we can get them into some other care for them to consume their drugs, and most importantly we’re saving their lives.”
More than 17,000 people have signed a petition against the site being created.
“People here in the crowd I spoke with are willing to help, they want to help end the opioid crisis, but not in this way,” South Surrey MLA and BC United Mental Health and Addictions Critic Elenore Sturko said outside the meeting.
“They are hoping that instead of having a safe consumption site they are looking at things like wanting to increase support services, looking to have things like recovery programs, and I think more consultation may in fact be helpful.”
Richmond city council said in a statement that the decision to open or operate a supervised consumption site lies with Vancouver Coastal Health. If council votes in favour of a site then it will be up to VCH to decide whether a site is in the interest of public health and safety.
B.C.’s Health Minister Adrian Dix said Monday that safe injection sites save lives.
“The evidence is that they make a difference in communities,” he said. “The evidence is that they make communities safer. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a debate. You always have to, when you’re doing something that may be perceived as new and different, and this is not new and different in our province. You do have to engage with communities.”
Dix went on to say that safe injection sites need to go hand-in-hand with action against a poisoned drug supply, those dealing poisoned drugs in communities and better access to housing.
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