Either location in the Bradford Street area is OK with Coun. Sergio Morales for Barrie’s supervised consumption site (SCS).
In a Facebook posting Wednesday afternoon, the Ward 9 councillor said he was satisfied with either 19 Innisfil St., (formerly identified by health unit officials as 80 Bradford St., Unit 940, although still part of the Barrie by the Bay building) or 192 Bradford St., which is farther up the road toward Tiffin Street.
“I know I will take flak on this, likely from both sides, but I am optimistic we can stop focusing so much energy into petty, unproductive personal issues, and work with those we disagree with in uniting this city,” he said in the post. “Let us begin to heal.”
An SCS provides a safe space and sterile equipment for individuals to use pre-obtained drugs under the supervision of health-care staff. Consumption refers to taking opioids and other drugs by injection, smoking, snorting or orally.
The SCS selection advisory committee has two other options for a Barrie site — they are 11 Sophia St. W., and 110 Dunlop St. W, Unit 4.
Coun. Keenan Aylwin, who represents downtown Barrie, didn’t indicate Wednesday afternoon if he has a preferred SCS site.
“I know that proximity to areas where drug use is occurring is an essential part of deciding the location and some of the listed sites are more conveniently located than others,” he said. “I also understand that accessibility and creating a welcoming environment for everyone is a key deciding factor. I’m hopeful that all of these factors will be taken into consideration when a final recommendation is made.
“I hope we can act quickly and get this life-saving service up and running as soon as possible,” Aylwin added. “People are dying and we can’t wait anymore.”
Morales said in his post he will wait for the reports and information to be finalized and presented to him before making a final decision on an SCS site.
“These new proposed locations move the needle for me from not supporting one to me now being supportive of a Bradford Street location, pending my review of the final reports, which I expect will confirm this support for me,” he said.
“I initially thought of not posting this (on Facebook) and ‘showing my cards’ until it came before council, but I along with many Barrie residents are tired of the division and attacks that a SCS proposal has caused, so it is my hope that ‘showing my cards’ will prevent a second ‘battle’ on this issue that further divides this city, as I presume there are now enough votes for it to go through,” Morales said.
“Don’t get me wrong, I am aware that the collective division of a city pales in comparison to the pain and suffering and lives lost to addiction, but I see a path forward with these new location developments where we can find the compassionate compromise," he added. "The energy should not hopefully be on ensuring the tough but fair questions are asked about the proposed site and implementation, not on divisive attacks.”
Barrie’s Downtown BIA does not support the existence of a supervised consumption site within a one-kilometre radius of the current BIA boundary. Only 192 Bradford St. appears to be outside the BIA radius, at 1.3 kilometres.
“The provincial legislation requires municipal council endorsement of the site with final approval resting with the province,” Aylwin said. “I trust in the judgment of public health experts and I’m confident that they will recommend the best location to serve people who use drugs and the whole community.”
The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit says that between January and mid-September 2020, there were 94 confirmed and probable opioid-related deaths in Simcoe Muskoka — of which 47 were in Barrie. The city’s rate was twice as high for this time period in 2020 to date compared to the average of 2017-2019, according to the health unit.
The search for a location for a supervised consumption site began in September 2019, when an advisory committee was struck. An online survey last October had more than 1,200 responses, and Barrie councillors have been asked to weigh in on the potential locations, along with those who own a business or live within 250 metres of the sites.
More community consultation will take place through a virtual platform.
Those who live, work, own a business or go to school in Barrie are invited to offer their opinion on the proposed SCS locations by filling out an online survey at www.smdhu.org/SCS, open until March 31. To request a paper copy of the survey by mail, call 1-877-721-7520 ext. 7333 and leave a voice mail.
The anonymous survey is one part of public consultations on a proposed SCS in downtown Barrie as a service for people who use drugs. In April, virtual neighbourhood consultations will also be offered for addresses of people who live, work or own a business nearby the potential site locations. More information about these sessions will be released in the coming weeks, the health unit says.
The application for an SCS is part of an action plan by the Simcoe Muskoka Opioid Strategy (SMOS), a large partnership of agencies, organizations and individuals working to address the crisis of opioid use and overdose in the region.
For more information on the SMOS Action Plan and related work, visit www.preventod.ca. For more information on SCSs, including the local SCS application history and the recent work of the advisory committee, visit www.smdhu.org/SCS.
