Charlottetown councillor calls for public meeting on overdose prevention site

A new safe injection site in Charlottetown is being set up at the former home of the Upper Room Food Bank and Soup Kitchen.

The site at 33 Belmont St. will allow people to use illicit drugs, which they’ve brought with them. Medical supervision will be present and could intervene in the event of an overdose.

The province says drug testing will be available to look out for dangerous contaminants, like fentanyl. There will also be resources available for addiction counselling and housing support.

“One-hundred per cent of the people we spoke with, every person reported substance use in a public space in the last six months,” said Shawn Martin, the harm reduction coordinator with public health. “When we talk about the challenge of public substance use, and when we talk about challenges of discarded needles, an overdose prevention site provides a solution.”

However, not everyone is convinced.

Charlottetown Coun. Mitchell Tweel spoke to concerns he’d heard during a Jan. 9 city council meeting and called on the province for more communication.

“Take the time to do their due diligence, and notify the affected community,” said Tweel. “That means notices in the mailbox, community meetings, effectively addressing the issues.”

Martin said they intend to launch a community engagement and information project to help neighbours understand what the new site means.

“We really want to share that information with community members and really communicate that this is a win-win for both public health and public safety,” said Martin.

The lot is already zoned for mixed-use. The city would not confirm if that means the project can go forward as of right, without municipal approvals. A spokesperson did say the city hasn’t received a building permit application yet.

Martin says public health is working with the city, but it would be favourable if the site falls under permitted uses for the current zoning.

Several harm reduction organizations have bid to run the overdose prevention site, and are unable to comment until the operator is announced. That’s expected within the next couple of weeks.