Nanaimo could have its first authorized overdose prevention site by next week.Earlier this month, Nanaimo city councillors approved Island Health's request to open a temporary overdose prevention site at 437 Wesley St., by Tuesday (Jan. 31).
Adrienne Breen, communications officer with Island Health, said the Wesley Street overdose prevention site should open as scheduled."We are still on track to open by Jan. 31," she said. Island Health has partnered with the Canada Mental Health Association to help operate the site, which is also a supportive housing complex for the the homeless.Nanaimo Coun. Gord Fuller told the News Bulletin that he was in meetings earlier this week about the site and is optimistic that it will open on time."It is supposed to be coming next week," he said. "It didn't sound quite like they were ready, but it should be ready as quickly as possible. If they can do it next Tuesday that would be great."Once new overdose prevention site is operating, the unauthorized supervised consumption site at Nanaimo's city hall will eventually cease operations all together."It will have to be sort of phased," he said. "We will give [users] a couple of days to let them know that we will be shutting down so that they can spread the word as well."Fuller said volunteers at the pop-up site will direct users to Wesley Street once it opens."Once they are up and running we will be informing that they are open and that they will have to be using them," he said. The pop-up consumption site has been operating out the parking lot at city hall since it was established by Fuller and a group of citizens on Boxing Day. Fuller said there have been a total of 400 consumptions, five overdoses and zero deaths to date. "It has worked out great," he said. "There have been five overdoses and everybody has survived."