After a lengthy debate that ended in a six to five vote, Windsor City Council approved the location of a safe consumption site in downtown Windsor.
“This is about harm reduction, the harm reduction principles are embedded in this type of location, meeting people where they are at in their stage of lives. Simply put, it saves lives, it reduces harm, it increases safety, and it’s a compassionate approach to help reduce the stigma associated with addiction and people who are going through trying times,” said Councillor Fabio Costante.
With approval from council, the Windsor Essex County Health Unit will apply to Health Canada to establish a Consumption and Treatment Services site at 628 Goyeau Street.
Councillors who voted against the approval raised concerns over how the site would affect surrounding businesses.
“We all see the impacts of homelessness around the Downtown Mission, we see it around Street Help too, and I think any reasonable person would have to admit that the behaviours on display are not good. They are not good for the residents in those areas, and they are not good for the businesses in those areas and in some ways, it has created this sense that downtown is somewhat unsafe,” said Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens.
“The request as proposed in this location, in my mind, will only further feed that feeling in our community. It’s at the entrance to the tunnel and exit of the tunnel, it’s across the street from a hotel, it’s across the street from a McDonald's. It will have an impact when we should be working to find a solution at a location that won’t cause more difficulties,” continued Dilkens.
The Windsor safe consumption site will be modelled off of the CTS site run by the Guelph Community Health Centre. Its operators stated the safe consumption site not only improved the neighbourhood but gave individuals a safe place to go for overdose prevention and other health care services.
“What was happening [outside our site] was, well, unremarkable. The fears that having a safe consumption site would lead to increased drug use, increased drug dealing and increased criminal behaviour just did not happen. The site did not bring drugs to Guelph, drugs were already here,” said Guelph CTS supervisor Lindsey Sodtke.
Surrounding business owners raised concerns around dropping property values, increased drug paraphernalia in the streets and more criminal activity.
“Anywhere we went, the abutting business owners would have had issues, but there’s a lot of assumptions, and there’s a lot of what-ifs and worst-case scenarios presented. We all have a role to play to ensure that the best-case scenario happens here so we can invest in this just by saying yes,” said Ward 3 Councillor Rino Bortolin.
Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, Family Services Windsor-Essex and the Windsor-Essex Community Health Care all endorsed the consumption and treatment service model.
“The need is there and we hear so much evidence from so many people who are living this on a daily basis, on the front lines and I am not one to question their expertise in this,” said Councillor Chris Holt.
