Neighbours speak out about new supervised injection site in Charlottetown

Some people who live and operate businesses close to 33 Belmont St. in Charlottetown — the site chosen by the provincial government to be a supervised injection site — expressed concern Wednesday about how it could impact property values.

The provincial government calls the site an "overdose prevention site." People will be able to take drugs they have obtained themselves to the facility. Those drugs will be tested for the presence of dangerous substances such as fentanyl.

People will then be able to consume drugs on-site — intravenously, through the nose and orally. They will be monitored to ensure an overdose doesn't occur, and will be offered assistance if one does occur.

About 40 people attended the first information session on the supervised injection site Wednesday afternoon.

CBC News spoke with several community members at the meeting, but none wanted to be interviewed or identified publicly.

In general, neighbours of the site said they are worried about property values going down, negative impacts to businesses in the area, public substance use — and many said they feel government should have consulted them before the site was chosen.

Eugene Sauve lives near the site, and CBC News reached him by phone on Thursday. He isn't against an injection site, but doesn't think it is being put in the right location, he said.

"You are right on the [Confederation] Trail, the busiest section of the trail in Charlottetown," he said, adding there is also a daycare nearby.

"I have concern about safety with the kids, the seniors and having it so close to homes in the area. That's my primary concern."

Karen Cudmore also lives near the site. She thinks the Charlottetown Outreach Centre has caused problems for its neighbours, and she doesn't want to see the same issues on Belmont Street.

"My main concern is safety and security for the neighbours and the businesses in and around the proposed — or finalized — site," she said.

"There is already a centre on Euston Street that is needed, but seems to have escalated to be a problem for that neighbourhood. And we don't want this to become a second location similar to Euston Street."

"We know that overdose prevention sites reduce public substance use, and reduce the number of discarded needles — two challenges we face today," said Shawn Martin, harm reduction co-ordinator with the Chief Public Health Office.

He added that clean needles will be provided to users and used needles disposed of at the site.

Knocking on doors

In addition to two public consultations on Wednesday, officials knocked on doors of neighbours in the area to gauge concerns, Martin said. However, some people at the meeting said they had heard about the site through local media.

While other options were looked at, the location on Belmont Street was chosen because it is within a 20-minute walk of other services including the Charlottetown Outreach Centre and Park Street emergency shelter, Martin said.

A fence is being put up for privacy and staff will have a presence outside the facility to "ensure safe and orderly operations," Martin said.

"It allows us to establish a service to address the urgent public health needs we face today. Overdoses are up. Overdose deaths, sadly, are up," Martin said, adding 1.6 kg of fentanyl was recently seized by RCMP.

In 2022, there were at least 30 opioid-related overdoses on P.E.I., but officials are still awaiting numbers from the last few months of the year before determining a total number, as well as how many of those overdoses resulted in deaths, according to a slideshow presented at the meeting.

Some who attended the public meeting expressed concern that people who use drugs were paid to take part in a government survey.

Martin said people were given a $10 gift card for groceries to persuade them to participate.

"I have not walked a mile in their shoes. I don't have their expertise," he said. "So when we take their time and speak with them…, it is important that they be compensated for their time and expertise."

Of the 55 people surveyed who have lived experiences with drug use, 87 per cent indicated they would use the site, he said.

A news release from the provincial government Wednesday announced PEERS Alliance had been chosen to operate the new facility.

"Community members have been telling PEERS Alliance we needed supervised consumption services in our province since about 2018," said Angele DesRoches, the program director with PEERS.

"I'm excited to see where this can go, [and] also very much appreciating the drug-checking services which will be operating out of the site and really allowing folks to make informed decisions on what they are consuming," said Tessa Rogers, street outreach co-ordinator for PEERS.

'Being a good neighbour'

DesRoches said she understands the concerns of people living near the centre.

"The space was part of the contract, so we look forward to working with decision makers around how they are set up to support us," she said.

"Being a good neighbour is very important to us — that we are able to not only meet the needs of participants, but also respond to the needs of community.... For us, this project isn't a success unless we can also be a good neighbour."

Some of the concerns DesRoches heard about are things already happening — such as people tenting in the area or discarding needles, she said.

"We are hopeful that an introduction of a overdose prevention site helps to solve or address some of those issues," she said.

The supervised injection site will be open Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. On Saturday and Sunday, the site will be open from noon to 5 p.m., Martin said.

A tender is out for renovations to the building, and closes on Feb. 14. The centre is expected to be up and running in the spring.