Advocates want more access to free, public Wi-Fi in the Downtown Eastside

Advocates in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside are working to increase access to free, public Wi-Fi in the neighborhood.

Sarah Blyth, the executive director of the Overdose Prevention Society, said greater access to the internet is not only about helping people connect with their families or making health-care appointments, it could also help people utilize life-saving apps to prevent overdoses.

“The majority of people who are dying, are dying at home alone and if they had internet, they could download Lifeguard or The Brave App made for using alone,” Blyth said. “It could save their lives.”

Lifeguard ensures people who use drugs don’t use alone. Once downloaded, users start a timer, and if they are not able to turn the timer off, it assumes the user is in crisis. 

“It then sends the address right to 9-1-1 and they respond directly to where you are,” said Jeff Hardy, the founder of Lifeguard Digital Health. Hardy said the app has saved at least 75 lives since launching in 2020.

‘NOBODY NEEDS TO DIE IN THEIR ROOM’

Another barrier advocates have pointed to in the DTES is the lack of public Wi-Fi in social housing buildings. It’s why Lifeguard created a device called Lifeguardlite that doesn’t rely on Wi-Fi. Jamie Sinclair, the manager of supportive housing solutions at Lifeguard Digital Health, said the device was installed in the Ranier Hotel, a supportive housing building, a few months ago.

“What led me to this work today is that I found too many people deceased in their rooms from drug poisoning,” Sinclair said. “Nobody needs to die in their room. There are technologies like our company."

The City of Vancouver, with Shaw and Telus, provides 521 free public Wi-Fi locations. In an email to CTV News, the city said it recognizes the role free Wi-Fi plays in the lives of people experiencing homelessness, and that it’s committed to exploring additional avenues to support the availability of free Wi-Fi.

Blyth said she’s been in contact with a few Vancouver city councillors about ways to implement this change. She said she’s also had a conversation with Jennifer Whiteside, the minister of mental health and addictions.

The province said it has a plan to connect every household to the internet by 2027, but acknowledges there is more work to be done, especially for people who are housing insecure or experiencing homelessness.

“It seems like just a basic service people should have a right to at this point, because if you don’t have the internet you really aren’t a part of the way the world functions,” Blyth said.