Overdose prevention site sparks petition

Opposition to the overdose prevention site in the city’s downtown core has gained more momentum.

A 300-name petition was presented to council on Monday asking Interior Health to keep an overdose prevention site out of the city’s two downtown business improvement areas.

City Councillor Scott Anderson presented the petition during council inquiries on behalf of a local business owner, who Anderson says prefers to remain unknown.

Vernon City Councillor Scott Anderson says a 300 person petition has started of people opposed to the overdose prevention site in the downtown core. He has asked council to send the petition to IHA #VernonBC #overdosepreventionsite pic.twitter.com/p7beQoamgL

— Tiffany Goodwein (@CityNewsTiffany) May 27, 2019

“This initiative comes directly from the grassroots-business and property owners who are fighting to survive economically in an increasingly disruptive environment, as well as concerned citizens who have every right to expect safety downtown,” said Anderson, in a press release statement.

The petition reads “We the undersigned are concerned citizens who are opposed to the placement of an overdose prevention site in downtown Vernon B.C. We say NO!”

During Monday’s council meeting, Anderson asked the city to submit the petition to the health authority for “serious consideration.”

“I’ll be frankly shocked if IHA ignores the wishes of most stakeholders. I think everyone wants to help addicted folks, but there has to be a balance between IHA’s harm reduction measures and the impact of those measures on everyone else,” he said.

The 300-person petition is one of many entities that have come out opposed to the overdose prevention site in recent weeks.

On May 17, the Greater Vernon Chamber of Commerce met with Interior Health representatives to discuss the proposed site, and said they are opposed to having the site downtown.

“Our members are telling us they are very concerned that an OPS in the downtown core will compound existing safety concerns and decrease property values. There is a strong level of compassion among business owners and they want individuals to be able to access the help they need, but they are also seeking assurances that their businesses and customers will not be negatively impacted by an OPS,” said Greater Vernon Chamber of Commerce president Diana Wilson.

The chamber is pushing Interior Health to consider the site at or near Vernon Jubilee Hospital.

“The hospital is within a short walking distance of downtown and there are a range of services available at the hospital, particularly during an emergency,” said Wilson.
Following the chamber’s statement, the Downtown Vernon Association quickly followed suit, denouncing the possibility of an overdose prevention site in the city’s downtown core, and advocating for the hospital area as a possible location.

“Our understanding of the opioid crisis is that this crisis is a medical crisis, and as such, the most logical location for medical service to address the crisis is at or near a medical facility,” says Susan Lehman, DVA Executive Director, and Selena Stearns, Chair, DVA Board of Directors, in a news release.

Anderson says he is also in favor of having the overdose prevention site at or near the hospital.

“Given that the goal is to save lives, the hospital has all the resources and a full spectrum support infrastructure on site,” he said.

“It is within walking distance of downtown, the mission, and the shelter, and it is linked to the public transportation system. It fulfills all the criteria demanded by IHA, including IHA’s advertised goal of balancing the needs of all stakeholders.”

A town hall meeting will be held on June 4 at 6 p.m. at the Vernon Recreation Auditorium to discuss the site, along with vagrancy and crime.