After two nights of heated meetings, Richmond City Council passed a motion Tuesday night to consider implementing a supervised consumption site.
The motion passed seven to two, with councillors Alexa Loo and Chak Au opposed.
Seventy-four residents lined up to voice their opinions Tuesday evening at Richmond council on the controversial proposal.
More than 120 people signed up to speak to the proposal, 54 of whom took the mic at a council meeting that grew heated Monday night.
That hearing saw shouting in the hallways, at least one person escorted away by police, and a rebuke to the gallery from Mayor Malcolm Brodie after chants of “no drugs!” broke out among demonstrators.
“The communication has been very very difficult,” Brodie told Global News ahead of Tuesday’s hearing.
“We are trying to communicate the basic messages which include that the city council is considering whether or not to liaise with Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) and suggest that we should have a safe consumption site at the hospital.”
As on Monday, the number of speakers opposed to the initiative heavily outweighed those backing it.
Speakers raised concerns including that the facility would bring drug users into the city, that the city should be focusing on recovery instead of harm reduction, and that the public wasn’t being well consulted or informed enough.
Other speakers pointed to Richmond’s comparatively low overdose death rates compared to other parts of the province, saying the facility isn’t needed.
Speakers in favour of the facility included Trevor Tablotney, who has spearheaded an overdose awareness campaign with his mother since his brother’s death in 2022.
“(Listen to) the peer-reviewed studies that have qualitative and quantitative data that’s been collected, listen to the sociologists, listen to the criminologists, listen to the medical professionals and the people what are experts instead of bowing to the pressure of a bunch of people who have no idea what this even is,” he told councillors.
Even with council’s approval of the motion, it would still be up to VCH to make a final decision on whether to proceed.
Earlier in the day, Premier David Eby gave some insight into where the health authority stood on the issue.
“My understanding is that they’re trying to get a better handle on why Richmond is bringing forward this proposal at this time, whether what’s proposed actually meets the needs in Richmond because, from their perspective, this is not what is immediately needed in that city,” Eby said.
The City of Richmond cannot approve a supervised consumption site as that decision lies with VCH and Health Canada.
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