Despite hitting a few snags a mock overdose prevention site set up shop in downtown Windsor Saturday.
Originally the Windsor Overdose Prevention Society planned on having a functional site open by Nov. 1, but opted for information sessions showing a fully stocked and staffed tent to show the "value, safety, and necessity of overdose prevention sites" instead
The @SocietyWindsor has set up a “mock” overdose prevention site on Ouellete Ave. near Park St. to educate the public on the “value ...safety and necessity” of the service. The information session runs until 10pm. https://t.co/9fg26Mh4Vb #cklw pic.twitter.com/EQTtpFGr2p
— Gord Bacon (@baconAM800) November 3, 2018
The group's stay on Ouellette Ave. near Park St. was short lived when the property owner sent Windsor Police Services to have the site removed. They were forced to move to Victoria Manor's property on the corner of Victoria Ave. and Elliott St. W.
.@SocietyWindsor mock overdose prevention site is now set up on Victoria Ave. and Elliott St. Members will be out until 10pm for members of the public to ask questions and see what a proposed working site would do for the community. #cklw pic.twitter.com/iZaEazVMXr
— Gord Bacon (@baconAM800) November 3, 2018
Bailey was told the owners withdrew consent after liability concerns were raised by their insurance company.
"There was nobody coming and using, there was nothing illegal happening, it didn't provide any more liability to them than the people who were already using on that property every single day," he says. "I can tell you that's a very common spot for people to use downtown; I picked up drug paraphernalia while we were there."
Two cruisers kept an eye on activity at the site and Bailey was told to keep the tent's windows and doors visible to police.
Bailey understands police are just doing their job, but says their presence makes it difficult for users or residents who don't want to be seen as drug users to approach them for information.
The government recently announced it will approve 21 overdose-prevention sites — he says 19 of those applications are already spoken for and Windsor could be left out in the cold.
Bailey tells AM800 News people need to start seeing the facilities aren't promoting drug use or supplying anything more than a safe area — users are going to do drugs no matter what.
"By giving people a safe space and letting them know that you actually care, whether they're trying to get sober or not, there's more of a chance that they'll actually come around to you," says Bailey. "If you're somebody saying it's abstinence or nothing, they're not going to come to you when they're ready, they're going to feel that guilt and shame because they're using drugs."
Member Starr Meloche hopes people actually come out and engage in conversation and stop fearing the idea of overdose prevention sites that she says have been proven to work since the first one hit Vancouver in 2003.
"Our plan for our overdose prevention site is not to jump into a residential community and open up a site and bring people who might not otherwise be in that area to be using drugs near their homes," she says. "We're actually going to bring the site to the people in the community that are already using."
The information session ran from 1pm to 10pm Saturday and Bailey hopes it can find a permanent location to continue for two more weeks.