UPDATE – On Tuesday, February 13, Council adopted a Motion 7-2 to proceed with further analysis and evaluation of establishing a supervised consumption site in Richmond.

Richmond City Council will discuss the merits of pursuing a request for a supervised consumption site in the Richmond Hospital precinct during its meeting on Monday, February 12, 2024.

There has been considerable community and media interest in this topic since an initial discussion at the General Purposes Committee on Monday, February 5 where Council voted 8-1 in favour of further discussion. That interest has also resulted in a large amount of misinformation and misunderstanding of what will go before Council on Monday and what a supervised consumption site is.

1. Neither the City of Richmond or Council can actually open or operate a supervised consumption site. That decision lies with Health Canada and Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) which must apply for and grant an exemption under Section 56.1 of the Controlled Drug and Substances Act.
   
   
2. Should Council vote in favour of exploring a supervised consumption site in Richmond, it will be up to VCH to decide whether such a site is in the interests of public health and safety and develop an application to Health Canada accordingly.
   
   
3. Supervised consumption sites provide a safe location for individuals with an addiction to administer their own drugs under the supervision of a qualified health professional. The sites or staff do not hand out drugs to users but provide access to addiction treatment and recovery services.

A Council vote in favour of a supervised consumption site on Monday would only mean sharing that expression of support with Vancouver Coastal Health which must then decide if a site is feasible and worthy of the extensive application process.