More than 17,000 signatures oppose safe consumption site in Richmond ahead of council vote

Thousands of people have signed a petition opposing a safe consumption site in Richmond, B.C., ahead of city council's vote on the matter.

A Change.org petition started Feb. 4 exceeded 17,100 signatures Monday morning, calling for council to reconsider its plan to look into the feasibility of a safe consumption site near Richmond Hospital.

Council voted 8-1 last week at a general purposes committee meeting to ask staff to "gauge the potential benefits and challenges of implementing a drug consumption site" in the city. The review is meant to consider the impact to public safety, health-care costs and community perceptions.

Council will vote again on the motion, brought forward by Coun. Kash Heed, at a public meeting Monday night.

"The introduction of such a facility will inevitably attract more drug addicts to our city," Gady Tse, who started the petition, wrote on Change.org.

"This could lead to an increase in crime rates and public safety issues that would directly affect us all – especially our children who are growing up here. Furthermore, there are potential health risks associated with these sites that cannot be ignored."

At last week's committee meeting, Heed said there was a "real misunderstanding" of what was being proposed, saying it's a supervised consumption site and not an overdose prevention site. Heed explained the site would be run by Vancouver Coastal Health with a health practitioner on site. Overdose prevention sites, however, are peer-run with trained staff, he said.

"We will be judged by society on how we deal with and how we treat our most vulnerable populations," Heed, who is a former police officer and previously served as B.C.'s public safety minister, said at the meeting.

On Sunday, the City of Richmond issued a statement also addressing "misinformation and misunderstanding" in the motion.

"Neither the City of Richmond or council can actually open or operate a supervised consumption site. That decision lies with Health Canada and Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) which must apply for and grant an exemption under Section 56.1 of the Controlled Drug and Substances Act," the statement said.

"Should council vote in favour of exploring a supervised consumption site in Richmond, it will be up to VCH to decide whether such a site is in the interests of public health and safety and develop an application to Health Canada accordingly."

Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre weighed in on the proposed site on social media with a link to his own petition, saying instead the government should "follow the common sense Conservative plan to sue Big Pharma for causing this opioid epidemic and use the proceeds for treatment and recovery."

Tse's petition says there's public concern over whether the site would increase "drug-related crimes and public disorder incidents."

"We understand that those struggling with addiction need help and support but introducing such facilities might not be the best solution for everyone involved – especially when considering its potential negative impacts on communities like ours," the petition says.

B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix addressed the concerns raised in the petition at a news conference about senior health care Monday.

"The evidence is that safe injection sites save lives. The evidence is that they make a difference in communities. The evidence is that they make communities safer. That doesn't mean there isn't a debate," he said.

"The record of safety in safe injection sites is remarkable. There is enormous evidence to the positive effects." 

Vancouver has 12 supervised consumption sites, including the first that ever opened in North America. Federal data shows no fatal overdoses have occurred at any supervised consumption site across the country. 

Toxic drugs killed 2,511 British Columbians in 2023, including 26 people in Richmond.