Neighbours speak out about supervised injection site in Charlottetown

Some people who live and operate businesses close to 33 Belmont St. in Charlottetown — the site chosen by the provincial government to be a supervised injection site — expressed concern Wednesday about how it could impact property values.

The provincial government calls the site an "overdose prevention site." People will be able to take previously-obtained drugs to the facility. Those drugs will be tested for the presence of dangerous substances such as fentanyl.

People will then be able to consume drugs on-site — intravenously, intranasally and orally. They will be monitored to ensure an overdose doesn't occur, and will be offered assistance if one does occur. 

About 40 people attended the first information session on the supervised injection site Wednesday afternoon.

CBC News spoke with several community members at the meeting, but none wanted to be interviewed. Neighbours of the site told CBC they are worried about property values going down, negative impacts to businesses in the area, public substance use — and many said they feel government should have consulted them before the site was chosen.

"We know that overdose prevention sites reduce public substance use, and reduces the number of discarded needles — two challenges we face today," said Shawn Martin, harm reduction co-ordinator with the Chief Public Health Office, adding that clean needles will be provided, and used needles disposed of, at the site.

In addition to two public consultations on Wednesday, officials knocked on doors of neighbours in the area to gauge concerns, Martin said. However, some people at the meeting said they heard about the site through local media. 

While other options were looked at, the location on Belmont Street was chosen because it is within a 20-minute walk of other services including the Charlottetown Outreach Centre and Park Street emergency shelter, Martin said.

A fence is being put up for privacy and staff will have a presence outside the facility to "ensure safe and orderly operations," Martin said.

"It allows us to establish a service to address the urgent public health needs we face today. Overdoses are up, overdose deaths, sadly are up," Martin said, adding 1.6 kg of fentanyl was recently seized by RCMP.

In 2022, there were at least 30 opioid-related overdoses on P.E.I., but officials are still awaiting numbers from the last few months of the year before determining a total number, as well as how many of those overdoses resulted in deaths, according to a slideshow presented at the meeting.

Some who attended the public meeting expressed concern that people who use drugs were paid to take part in a government survey.

Martin said people were given a $10 gift card for groceries to take the survey.

"I have not walked a mile in their shoes. I don't have their expertise. So when we take their time and speak with them that's why it is important that they be compensated for their time and expertise," Martin said.