Supervised injection site may be moved from Belmont Street
CBC
A supervised injection site for Charlottetown may not be destined for Belmont Street after all.
A meeting was held at Birchwood School Wednesday night for nearby residents to voice their concerns. P.E.I. is in the middle of an election campaign, and all four of the district's candidates showed up, making the site an election issue.
PC candidate Tim Keizer said he has spoken with party leadership, the incumbent governing party that chose the Belmont Street location, and he was told the plan is to find a new site.
"It will not be going ahead," he said.
"We understand the need for a safe injection site and we will work together with our partners to find that site."
Hundreds of residents also attended the meeting. People were concerned about property values going down, the safety of children, increased drug use in the area and how users of the site would be monitored. Many were also concerned there wasn't enough public consultation before the site was chosen.
"Where that goes and what that looks like, we're going to require community engagement," Keizer said.
The provincial government has called the centre an overdose prevention site. People would be able to take drugs they have obtained themselves to the facility. Those drugs will be tested for the presence of dangerous substances such as fentanyl. PEERS Alliance was selected to run the supervised injection site.
Keizer didn't indicate what other locations are being considered.
"Where it's going to go, we have to look where it fits how it is going to impact the community," he said.
When asked why this wasn't announced earlier, Keizer said PC Leader Dennis King is "open to anything" being heard along the campaign trail.
All candidates running in the district agreed the property on Belmont Street is the wrong location. Government should have done more consultation with the community in the first place, said Green candidate Karla Bernard.
"I think it is disgusting," she said.
"The city councillor for the area, myself, have been trying to advocate for residents for months with not even a simple response. Not an acknowledgement to any emails, not an acknowledgement of any letter. Then all of the sudden at the last hour they swoop in and cancel this."