City council in Williams Lake will move ahead with discussing the possibility for a safe consumption site for the community with Interior Health.
A recommendation was brought forward from council's Oct. 1 committee of the whole meeting to receive a report and move forward with discussions for establishing a safe consumption site in Williams Lake. The recommendation passed at the Oct. 8 regular city council meeting.
While there was some discussion both for and against, only one councillor voted against the recommendation.
In speaking for going ahead with talking to Interior Health about the possibility, Coun. Angie Delainey pointed out all communities are dealing with the issues of drug use and homelessness.
"I'm just not sure how you can get away with not having these services in any community," said Delainey, noting not every homeless person is involved in drugs or a bad person. "The reality of it is there's issues and we have to be able to have some supports in place so people aren't dying on the streets," she said.
Coun. Scott Nelson, appearing remotely, however, spoke against the recommendation. He suggested council needed to consult the community and brought up concerns over crime.
"There's been a rash, a rash of break-ins over the last 72 hours," he said.
Delainey pushed back against consulting with the public.
"When you end up taking these things out to community, you end up pitting community against each other," she said in support of the recommendation and moving ahead on providing what she considers much-needed services in the community.
Nelson was not at the committee of the whole meeting on Oct. 1, which included a presentation calling him out for his use of social media when discussing the unhoused and drug use in the community. A video he had posted on his public Facebook page showed a person kicking in and breaking the glass door of a business, but he took it down after a comment asked if he knew if the person in the video was OK and suggested the person may have needed help.
Other councillors speaking in support of the recommendation noted 100 Mile House has a safe injection site, with no provision for inhalation of drugs, in the downstairs of their hospital building during daytime hours.
Coun. Jazmyn Lyons also said another big reason to support the recommendation is to help alleviate the pressure on our strained health care system.
"It's monitored, it's safer, it's taking emergencies away," she said.
While against moving ahead on a safe consumption site, Nelson did bring forward a late addition to the Oct. 8 agenda asking council to support the establishment of a secure housing and care facility in our region for people held under the Mental Health Act to receive long-term care.
A petition calling for a safe consumption site in Williams Lake and not a forced treatment facility was started on Oct. 12 by Cianna O'Connor after the council meeting discussion.
To see the petition and read more, go to: https://www.change.org/p/open-a-safe-consumption-site-not-forced-treatment-in-williams-lake
In 2023, the per capita unregulated death rate per 100,000 for the Cariboo-Chilcotin was 49.1, with 13 recorded toxic drug deaths. The Cariboo-Chilcotin does not include 100 Mile House or Quesnel.
To watch council's discussion:
