An out-of-court settlement has Vancouver Coastal Health committing to following provincial rules governing overdose prevention sites.
A Yaletown resident filed a lawsuit in June 2023 over the overdose prevention site at Seymour and Helmcken streets, which opened in 2021.
The lawsuit referred to the site as a “ham-fisted operation that was poorly suited” to the neighbourhood and claimed it has turned the area into “a centre point for crime and public disorder.”
As part of an out-of-court settlement, Vancouver Coastal Health has committed to following provincial rules, including taking reasonable measures to act as good neighbours and managing issues such as outdoor congregation, discarded drug paraphernalia, and crisis de-escalation.
“What excites me is that other neighbourhoods in B.C. can stand up and say, ‘Hey, this isn’t being done right, it’s not helping the people it’s been trying to serve but it’s really not helping the neighbourhood as well and maybe there’s a better way to do this,’ and so I think that’s an exciting step forward,” plaintiff Michael Wilson said.
B.C. Premier David Eby said the government is doing some work with non-profits to ensure that part of the agreement includes a “consistent good neighbour standard across the province that everybody understands and adheres to in order for communities to support these often controversial projects.”
In July 2023, the City of Vancouver decided not to renew the lease of the Seymour Street site and moved to the site of the 1000-block of Howe Street.
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