Richmond won't seek approval for drug consumption site: mayor

Two weeks after council in Richmond, B.C., voted in favour of asking health authorities to look into the possibility of a supervised drug consumption site at the city's hospital, the mayor has said the city will no longer be seeking approval for such a facility.

During a council meeting on Monday evening, Mayor Malcolm Brodie said the resolution made by council did not state the city would establish a consumption site, and that only Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) has the ability to do this, with approval from Health Canada.

VCH has said it is not considering a standalone supervised consumption site in Richmond.

"The discussion on whether there will be a supervised consumption site in Richmond is closed," Brodie said.

"There will be no site and no further discussion by council on this matter."

However, Brodie said Richmond council will continue to look for ways to keep people safe.

On Feb. 13,  Richmond city council voted 7–2 to approve the motion asking health authorities to explore the possibility of a supervised drug consumption site at Richmond General Hospital. The motion drew heated protests, and some residents criticized the lack of public consultation.

B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix has previously stated that the sites are an important tool in trying to limit deaths from toxic drugs.

However, on Feb. 14 VCH said that based on public health data, a site in the hospital wouldn't be the most appropriate. The health authority said standalone sites work best in communities where there is a significant concentration of people at risk, because people will not travel far for these services.

Of the more than 2,500 people who died of toxic drugs in B.C. in 2023, 26 were in Richmond.