Some neighbours upset with proposed SCS location 'right in front of our homes'

Barrie’s proposed supervised consumption site (SCS) will be up for discussion at city council in just over a week for possible endorsement, but there are some residents in the neighbourhood who are speaking out against the location. 

The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit will make a presentation to council on Monday, May 25 with 11 Innisfil St. being the address that could one day host the facility.

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.

Public health officials recently announced 19 Innisfil St. as their preferred location from a short list of four possible sites, but that address was later clarified to be 11 Innisfil St., which is an entrance near the street, including a handful of steps, and not in the nearby loading dock area.

Some residents in the area of Innisfil and Perry streets don't believe it's the right fit for their neighbourhood because, if approved, it would be too close to many homes. 

Kathryn Hankinson, who has lived in the Innisfil Street area for 31 years, says she felt “misled” by the consultation process and address changes.

“I think when they originally named it as being at 80 Bradford St., we were fine with that as it was on the other side of the building," she told BarrieToday. "Then it got changed to 19 Innisfil St., which we all know to be the warehouse area. Now it’s actually 11 (Innisfil St.,), which is right in front of our homes.

"It's not right and there was way too much confusion with it," Hankinson added.

Dr. Lisa Simon, the local health unit's associate medical officer of health, said health officials spoke to building owner Steve Sperling, as well as a realtor volunteering on the SCS selection advisory committee, to confirm the correct address before beginning the community consultation process. 

The selection committee was going by the address given to them, said Simon, adding she believes the clarification should have no effect on the proposal itself. 

“Although a previous tenant had used a different street address (11 Innisfil St.), this discrepancy can be resolved by getting approvals to rename the separate entrance at that side of the building to 19 Innisfil St.,” Simon wrote in an email to BarrieToday.

“This will support service recipients and community partners to easily access the new SCS on Innisfil Street and will also support mail delivery," the doctor added. "The new entrance will meet (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act) standards and will be constructed with a privacy fence or barrier.” 

Pauline Bradshaw, who lives on Perry Street, said she's concerned with things already happening in the area — such as nearby Milligan's Pond where homeless people often stay — and would hope council would look at that.

There has also been a plan to build supportive housing just up the road at Vespra Street, but that project's future is unknown after city staff said the land may not be suitable. 

“How much do they need in this area? All the while, they neglect the issues of homeless encampments in Milligan’s Pond,” Bradshaw told BarrieToday. “There are homes with families and kids immediately near the proposed SCS; they really need to consider that.”

All four of the proposed locations that were short-listed had a mix of residential and commercial nearby, Simon said. 

“This location was chosen because it presented the best balance between serving clients effectively and ensuring an acceptable fit within the surrounding community,” the doctor said.

Also considered for the SCS were 110 Dunlop St. W. Unit 4, 11 Sophia St. W., and 192 Bradford St.

The search for a location was carried out by the lead applicant, the Canadian Mental Health Association’s Simcoe County Branch, with the health unit as co-applicant, along with the SCS site selection advisory committee.

If city council endorses the Innisfil Street location, an application will be sent to the federal government for exemption from the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. An application would also be sent to the provincial government for funding approval. 

Coun. Keenan Aylwin, who represents this part of the city, said he had the opportunity to visit the SCS facility in Guelph and said you could barely tell what the use was from the outside.

"It looked and functioned like any other medical facility or clinic," he said. "This is a health service, staffed by health professionals, and will operate as such.

"The Guelph SCS has managed to get neighbourhood buy-in and has since been operating successfully with few issues for several years," Aylwin added. "I’m confident that we can learn from their success and replicate it here."