HIP Developments’ questions about Barrie’s proposed supervised consumption site (SCS) location have been addressed, if not completely answered.
A meeting Wednesday morning involving city officials and the Waterloo-based developer has at least cleared the air after HIP said Tuesday it would halt further investment in its residential development at Dunlop Street West and Bradford Street because of the nearby SCS location.
“I had a frank and productive conversation with the president of HIP Developments (Scott Higgins) this morning,” said Barrie Mayor Jeff Lehman. “He remains concerned about the impact of the proposed SCS on their development plans and the site-selection process to date.
“However, we agreed to work together from here forward to mitigate any potential impacts of the SCS on the development, should the province of Ontario approve the site,” Lehman added. “The site plan for the HIP development will be moving forward to city council by the end of June, and we committed to working on specific site-plan issues related to the potential SCS.”
“We had a good, frank meeting this morning. Some progress (was) made. We’ll continue the conversation,” Higgins said Wednesday afternoon. “Planning approvals will continue as we discuss the process around the SCS location selection and steps going forward.
“We are still not prepared to invest further until satisfactory solutions are found," he added.
Early Tuesday morning, city council endorsed 11 Innisfil St., as Barrie’s potential SCS location. It now requires approval from the province, which would fund the SCS, and Health Canada.
On Tuesday, Higgins said 11 Innisfil St. — which is near HIP’s project at the former Barrie Central Collegiate and Prince of Wales site — wasn’t the correct location for the SCS, that HIP had not been consulted by the city or the proponent, which is the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU) and the Canadian Mental Health Association's Simcoe County branch (CMHA).
Higgins also said HIP will be reviewing all legal options available and its continued investment in the project won’ t proceed until further consultation and clarification satisfies the developer — which has halted a $250-million investment in Barrie, along with the associated jobs, taxes, levies and the needed rental apartments HIP would build.
But by Wednesday HIP had changed its tune, a little.
“My hope is that we can work together from here to support the SMDHU and the CMHA, the proponents, in ensuring their security and management plans ensure impacts on the neighbours are addressed, should the province approve the SCS at this location,” Lehman said.
In a letter Monday to Couns. Gary Harvey and Mike McCann, city council’s only two opponents to the SCS site, Joel Doherty, HIP’s vice-president of real estate and development, raised concerns about the proposed SCS location. Doherty listed proximity to not only HIP’s development, but the existing neighbourhood, nearby businesses and children.
But Lehman noted the letter said something else worth noting,
“In their letter on Monday, HIP indicated that they ‘are very sensitive to this serious crisis facing many cities in Ontario presently and we understand that help is needed for those with addiction issues’,” the mayor said.
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.
Coun. Keenan Aylwin, who represents this part of Barrie, said the need for an SCS has not changed.
“I would reiterate the pressing need for this life-saving service in our city. I believe the provincial government has a moral obligation to approve the site as soon as possible to save lives from the deadly toxic drug supply crisis,” he said. “Not only do these sites save lives, but they can also reduce instances of public drug use and discarded needles while connecting people to vital services.
“I’m glad that HIP is continuing to move forward with the site-plan process. I'm hopeful and optimistic that we can all support this evidence-based solution while working together to build much-needed rental housing on this site," the councillor added.
At the former Barrie Central Collegiate site — 34-50 Bradford St., and a portion of 125 Dunlop St. W. — HIP Developments plans to build two 20-storey towers, one 10-storey residential building, a three-storey YMCA, a semi-public urban parkette containing the heritage facade of the former Prince of Wales school and a five-storey parking structure. In all, there would be 600 residential units on the nearly seven-acre property.
Its final site plan still requires city council’s approval.
This week's council endorsement of the Innisfil Street location for a potential SCS comes with a number of conditions.
The application for the SCS at 11 Innisfil would be endorsed with an understanding that the health unit and CMHA would work with the city to address fencing, landscaping, access, security cameras, discarded needle collection boxes, appropriate property standards and property maintenance measures at the site.
An SCS advisory committee would be established, as would a security plan and/or a needle sweep plan, along with any related neighbourhood integration matters.
The CMHA and health unit would provide annual reports to council and city staff would report back on the progress of the above matters.
The search for an SCS location was carried out by the lead applicant, the CMHA, and the health unit, as co-applicant, along with the SCS site selection advisory committee.
The health unit announced a few weeks ago that 11 Innisfil had been identified as the proposed location for an SCS. It would be operated by the CMHA and funded by the province.
The province will determine the SCS’s location, but city council was asked for a motion of support, for that specific location, for the application to the province.
Once the SCS applications go to Health Canada and the province, it could be six month before there’s an answer.
Health Canada’s application includes a Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) exemption that allows staff with the SCS to have the ability to test and handle drugs without any criminal sanctions.
The search for an SCS in Barrie has gone on for about two years. At one point, 90 Mulcaster St., was considered, in June 2019, but was ultimately rejected.
A site selection advisory committee was struck in the fall of 2019, did searches that year, during the spring of 2020 and the winter of 2021. There were also community surveys before 11 Innisfil was chosen.
