Drug site open house called off after media tipped off

Local business owners are miffed an open house for the upcoming supervised consumption site was cancelled after the media found out about it and interest swelled.

Members of the North Logan Community group said the tour, planned for today, was billed as an opportunity to ask questions about the site at 366 Henry Ave. However, they say it was cancelled Tuesday after interest in the event went beyond the neighbourhood and there was concern about managing attendance.

Norman Alegria, the group’s communications representative, said he registered seven people from the North Logan group to attend the open house.

“About an hour later, there was a concern that there was a media leak. The following day, (Tuesday), we received word that it was cancelled because of the media leak,” Alegria told a group of reporters and business owners outside the supervised consumption site Wednesday afternoon.

The North Logan group is made up of business owners and residents who have concerns about the site, which is operated by the Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre and is due to open Aug. 11.

The invitation to the open house, viewed by the Free Press, includes guidelines for visitors, including that no media can attend, that access be restricted to residents and business owners of the North Logan neighbourhood, and that attendees pre-register.

The invitation said media members couldn’t attend owing to Manitoba’s Personal Health Information Act. Staff were scheduled to undergo training on site during the tour.

The email sent to the group that informed them about the cancellation said it was intended to be a local community gathering, but the “media interest has expanded its scope well beyond what was originally planned.”

“Second, with the heightened level of interest, managing attendance and ensuring the safety and security of participants would place an undue burden on the facility while staff are still in the training phase of operations,” the email said.

A revised date for the open house was requested and the group plans to attend if one is organized, Alegria said.

On Wednesday afternoon, vehicles went in and out of the parking lot at the site. Progressive Conservative Leader Obby Khan and Tory addictions critic Jeff Bereza attended Wednesday’s news conference outside the Henry Avenue site but declined to comment.

A statement attributed to Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre CEO Monica Cyr said the scheduled tour had specific parameters for a number of reasons, including privacy requirements and space considerations.

“Unfortunately, that request was not respected, and as a result, we were left with no choice but to cancel the tour scheduled for today,” Cyr’s statement said.

The wellness centre remains “unequivocally committed to ongoing, transparent communication with all safer consumption site stakeholders, including the North Logan Community residents and businesses,” Cyr’s statement said.

The North Logan group wants ongoing dialogue about the site and assurances their concerns about safety will be addressed.

A meeting for a community advisory group is scheduled for Sept. 1, according to the open house invitation. Alegria says the North Logan group plans to attend.

Joseph Fourre, an outspoken fentanyl awareness activist, said while he acknowledges the explanation for the cancellation, it is still disappointing.

“Trust is built through consistent communication and by honouring commitments whenever possible. Opportunities such as this help replace speculation with facts and allow concerns to be addressed through respectful dialog,” he said.

Fourre said the group wants to continue working with the wellness centre to reschedule the open house.

The site has been the subject of heated debate since the provincial government announced it in December. Numerous consultations, moderated panel discussions and meetings with political, community and business leaders have taken place since then.

Business leaders fear the site will exacerbate issues in the area, including open drug use, trafficking and behaviour that threatens people’s safety. The site was one of the locations targeted by the recent police crackdown on drug use.

Robert Firman, an associate at Tench Plumbing and Heating, located a few blocks from the site, said he’s against the site.

“I pick up needles every day. I deal with people who have overdosed in my parking lot. I’ve been threatened to be stabbed,” he said. “These are all people that need help. This is not help. Let’s just call it what it is, you’re bandaging a problem without getting to the real solution.”

The North Logan group has called for the province to implement a recovery-based model of addictions treatment, rather than including supervised consumption in the drug crisis strategy.

The first proposal for the supervised drug site was set for 200 Disraeli Fwy. in Point Douglas. The government abandoned to location in September over concerns it was too close to schools and child-care facilities.

The site’s opening date of Aug. 11 was confirmed this week after being delayed numerous times. The former Western Fabrics building is still undergoing renovations, and mobile units will be set up in a fenced-off parking lot in the meantime.

Clients won’t be given drugs, but offered supervision to prevent overdoses, access to drug-testing services, and connect to treatment options and social supports.

The site is expected to operate Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6:45 p.m.

nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca