Overview
- Health Minister Josie Osborne announced on Wednesday that the province will not proceed with an overdose prevention site at 900 Helmcken Street and that there is no scheduled opening date.
- Vancouver Coastal Health had signed a lease for the Helmcken location that was to begin on June 1 as a replacement for a Howe Street site.
- A mobile overdose-prevention service will continue to operate in the downtown core and provide a limited range of life-saving supports while officials reset stakeholder talks.
- The pause follows strong opposition from Mayor Ken Sim and the ABC-majority city council, which voted to block the Helmcken plan and instructed staff to use all tools available to stop it.
- Business and community groups say consultation was inadequate and call for more action, while provincial officials point to high downtown overdose-death rates and plan collaborative mitigation and management planning before any reopening.