Vancouver overdose prevention site closes less than 2 years after relocation
CBC
A Vancouver overdose prevention site has closed less than two years after it moved from its previous location, raising concerns among health officials and harm reduction advocates as the province sees record number of overdose calls to emergency services.
The Thomus Donaghy Overdose Prevention Site, located at 1060 Howe St., shut its doors Saturday, according to Vancouver Coastal Health.
The health authority says the owner of the building, Prima Properties, notified them to leave the property by the end of January after hearing a number of complaints from nearby residents.
CBC News reached out to the building's owner to understand the scope and nature of the complaints but did not hear back by deadline.
Dr. Patricia Daly, VCH’s chief medical health officer said the health authority took steps to address neighbourhood concerns, including hiring security, conducting needle sweeps, and placing staff on the sidewalk to prevent disorder.
“I myself frequently went down and observed that things seemed to be operating as they should,” Daly said.
The Howe Street location opened after the site was moved from Seymour Street in Yaletown in April 2024 following public safety concerns and backlash from nearby residents.
“The overdose prevention site isn’t causing the substance use,” she added. “It’s a place where people can go so they’re not consuming substances in public, and where someone can observe and respond if they suffer an overdose.”
The current site was located at the back of the building behind the Metson Shelter and supportive housing building.
"It was actually a very good location, not visible to people on the street,” Daly said.
It was the only one of its kind in what VCH calls the Vancouver City Centre area, which includes most of downtown, the West End and Fairview.
“That neighbourhood has the second highest rate of overdose deaths in our region, and the third highest rate in the entire province,” Daly said.
Daly says the OPS typically saw about 400 to 500 visits per week and has reversed more than 300 overdoses since its opening.
Across Vancouver, there are 12 overdose prevention sites, most of them located in the Downtown Eastside. But with the latest closure, that number drops to 11.
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