During a stop in Montreal on Friday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poirierbre called on the federal government to shut down the city’s first supervised drug smoking centre, calling it a “drug den.”
Maison Benoît Labourée drew criticism from residents before its opening in April and in the months since, with some parents saying they were surprised by the decision to locate the centre in a building less than 100 metres from Victor Rousselot primary school.
Located on Greene Avenue near Dorée Street, Maison Benoit Labouré also features 36 studio apartments, a kitchen and a drop-in center for people trying to transition out of homelessness.
Speaking at a news conference in a small park adjacent to the centre and the school, Poirierbre said other federal parties and their supporters in the media “want to make it seem like it’s a constitutional obligation” to allow supervised smoking facilities to be opened anywhere.
Poirierbre vowed to close similar facilities across the country, saying they were “making everything worse.”
“We will close safe injection sites in schools, playgrounds and other locations that put the public at risk and could take lives,” he said, before taking issue with the use of the term “safe injection sites.”
“Children must not coexist with hard drug use and crime,” said Poirievre. “Under Article 56.1 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, the government: “Maison Benoit Labourée”
Minister says consumption centres need to be located near other services
In June, the Conservative leader wrote to federal Health Minister Marc Holland, asking him to revoke an exemption the government had given to a centre opening in the Saint-Henri neighbourhood, southwest of Montreal.
He blamed government policies supported by the Bloc Quebecois for “increasing feelings of insecurity and homelessness throughout Quebec.”
Andréanne Désirés, executive director of Maison Benoît Labouré, said in a statement on Friday that the centre is working with local health authorities, the city government and other stakeholders to ensure its services are sustainable and integrated into the sector.
“La Maison Benoît Labourée’s mission is to support the most vulnerable in our society and it has been a central part of the community for 75 years,” she said, adding that the centre did not want to “take part in political debates.”
“I want to reiterate that the services we provide are essential to addressing the growing homelessness and drug overdose crisis,” Desirée said.
Yaara Sachs, a spokesperson for Mental Health and Addictions Minister, said in an email Friday that Ottawa does not provide basic funding for supervised drug consumption facilities, but that such facilities save lives.
“For these services to be effective, they need to be easily accessible to those who need them, which often means they are located within the services they already access,” the spokesperson said.
“We need comprehensive care that includes prevention, enforcement, treatment and mitigation so people can survive and recover.”
Against cohabitation
Poirievre’s complaint was filed by Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante after the city Montreal Public Advice Centre Hold public hearings on solutions to homelessness.
The administration said it was looking for ways for residents to live more “harmoniously” with homeless people and would have more input on projects like Maison Benoît Labourée.
The Conservative leader said Friday that the concept of cohabitation is an “Orwellian term” invented by politicians like Plante and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Asked how he would help people with addictions, Poirierbre said a Conservative government would provide “real treatment” to eradicate drug addiction rather than funding supervised substance use centres, but he gave no details of potential policies.
“The only solution is to not use hard drugs,” he said.
A spokesperson for Quebec’s Health Ministry said in an email Friday that the current public health crisis requires the implementation of “practical and humane solutions” and that the ministry has chosen to take a “collaborative approach.”
In this spirit, local health authorities: Montreal South Centre CIUSSSThe company and its partners are on a committee that works to “keep citizens and industry workers informed, listened to and safe,” a spokesman said.
Measures currently being implemented include stationing interventionists near school sites, setting up teams tasked with cleaning up the sites and increasing the number of officers on bicycle patrols during the summer months.
A spokesman for Immigration Minister Marc Miller, whose constituency includes Saint-Henri, said he had met with parents and neighbours in the area who had expressed concerns. He acknowledged the centres were short-staffed and that there were still addiction problems and drug dealers in the area, but said the solution had to be holistic.
“Harm reduction strategies like supervised injection sites are evidence-based and save lives, but it’s important that they are implemented the right way,” a spokesman for Miller said in a statement.
“Poirierbre is using this issue to stoke fear. He doesn’t care about parents or the importance of good relationships with neighbors. He is hijacking their concerns for his own political purposes.”