Proposed overdose prevention site near Whyte Avenue fuels debate at community meeting

Concerns about a health hub set to open this spring on Edmonton's south side fuelled a heated debate during a community engagement session Monday evening.

Boyle Street Community Services plans to open its Strathcona health hub sometime in the spring in a former storefront at 10119 81st. Ave.

The building, one block south of Whyte Avenue, is within the boundaries of the Ritchie community.

People in the area will be able to get access to harm reduction, mental wellness resources, recovery services and other health-related services.

The health hub would also have an overdose prevention site for people to use drugs safely in the presence of trained staff. The site needs approval from the provincial government.

Boyle Street spokesperson Elliott Tanti said the hub would allow people who are already using drugs to do so safely.

But some people who attended Monday's meeting at the Ritchie community hall were not convinced the health hub is a good idea. The meeting was the second public engagement session on the health hub.

Rob Bligh represented an advocacy group called Scona Concerned Citizens. Members of the group wore red stickers with the message "Find a Better Location."

Group members chanted and applauded each other while Boyle Street representatives gave an information presentation and took questions from the crowd.

Bligh doesn't live in the area but his family business, Klondike Insurance Agencies, is on the same street as the hub. 

"You have to look after the concerns of the neighborhood that you're putting it in, and in particular we're concerned about public safety, crime, and we're concerned about the damage to revitalization of our neighborhood, which to date has been extremely successful," Bligh said. 

Angela Staines, who supports the hub proposal, has lived in Ritchie since 1987. Her eldest son has been using drugs for 12 years and lives in the area off and on.

"I understand the hesitance, but it's already on our doorstep. It really is a life-and-death situation," Staines said.

"I think there's a lot of of misconceptions. I think there's a lot of stigma that drive a lot of the opinions, but … we need to make sure that these people are alive," Staines said.

The overdose prevention site was a major point of contention for the attendees.

Tanti told community members that Boyle Street is following standards to ensure that residents are safe while people with addictions are receiving adequate resources. 

"It's a really extensive regulatory regime that has shifted a lot since the last time an overdose prevention site was put in Edmonton," Tanti said in an interview.

"We're doing everything in our power working alongside Alberta Health Services and [Edmonton police] to make sure that we're fulfilling all the requirements."

Petra Schulz with the advocacy group Moms Stop the Harm attended the meeting to encourage people to understand the stakes.

Schulz's son died of an overdose in 2014. She said harm reduction resources like the health hub could have helped him.

"What I really like about this service is the integrated approach where you have health care, you have social services, you can connect people with treatment if that is what they are looking for, as well as providing harm reduction and keeping them alive," Schulz said.