Whitehorse's safe consumption site sees big jump in visits so far this year

The supervised consumption site in downtown Whitehorse has seen record-breaking attendance this month.

There were about 1,800 visits to the consumption site between Feb. 1 and Feb. 26, already exceeding January's tally of 1,391 visits. Those numbers are skyrocketing past visitation data for 2023, which saw 571 visits in the month of December.

Jill Aalhus, executive director of Blood Ties Four Directions Centre, which operates the consumption site, said she doesn't know exactly why those numbers have increased so suddenly.

The rise in visits dovetails with the consumption site's recent extension of its hours, to seven days a week from 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Aalhus says the extended hours have likely boosted attendance, in combination with snowballing word-of-mouth. 

"We work really hard to create safety within the space, and I think that has taken time," Aalhus said. 

There is often also a boost in attendance following a trend of overdoses in the community, she said.

"So people are trying to protect themselves and keep themselves safe by coming to the site."

Since it opened in 2021, consumption site staff have provided oxygen or naloxone to reverse nearly 70 overdoses.

The site has helped staff intervene earlier than outreach services which might attend an overdose after the situation has already progressed into a more serious incident. That early intervention means that an overdose can sometimes be reversed with oxygen, which is less invasive than naloxone and won't cause someone to go into immediate withdrawal.

Whitehorse's consumption site is one of the few in Canada to include an indoor smoking facility. According to Aalhus, about 95 per cent of visitors come to smoke crack-cocaine or "down," the street term for fentanyl. The supply of down, in particular, can contain varying amounts of fentanyl and can also be laced with benzodiazepines, making the drug's toxicity unpredictable.

Yukon government lauds strides in downtown safety plan

The consumption site's recent service extension is one aspect of the territorial government's downtown safety action plan, announced late last year. 

During a media briefing last Wednesday, Health and Social Services Minister Tracy-Anne McPhee lauded the work being done at the consumption site and she expressed the desire to eventually extend the hours even further.

"Having individuals with the skills at those locations that can help to intervene is making a difference," McPhee said. "It is saving individuals."

McPhee also provided an update last week about progress on the safety plan, which lays out 13 goals to be achieved in 2024 related to homelessness, addiction and community safety. McPhee says all of those goals are being worked on simultaneously.

"I'm not sure we could do more," McPhee said. "We will continue to listen, we will make sure that we're listening to the members of our community … and doing absolutely everything we can to respond to that — in a real way."

Meal services have been introduced at more locations downtown, including lunch and dinner at the former Coast High Country Inn, Thursdays to Sundays from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. There's also a takeaway evening meal program on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at the Council of Yukon First Nations (CYFN) office at 205 Black Street.

The Moccasin Mobile outreach service also launched at the beginning of this year. It is operated by CYFN and is active after hours and on weekends, when there are fewer other services available.

The Yukon government is also looking toward opening the former cafeteria in the Jim Smith Building as a temporary warming shelter, from March 18 to May 1, with snacks, computer access and outreach services available there. It's to coincide with the temporary closure of the Whitehorse Public Library for renovations. 

A contract has also been extended for Sirius Security to operate around the Whitehorse Emergency Shelter until March 31.

The government is also penciling $15 million toward the substance use emergency in the territorial budget for 2024-25. If the budget is approved, that money will go toward Indigenous policing programs, community safety officer positions, CYFN's land-based healing program, and the national action plan to end gender-based violence.

An additional housing summit is slated for Feb. 29 to address the supportive housing portions of the plan. There will also be another community engagement session on downtown safety this spring.