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Non-Profit Says Kelowna Supervised Consumption Site Should Be Reworked, Not Simply Closed
BrainTrust says the site saves lives but needs a new model to protect vulnerable residents and avoid continued neurological harm.
- On Sep 3, Mayor Tom Dyas wrote to the federal health minister requesting non-renewal of the Outreach Urban Health Centre's license in 2027, while B.C. Health Minister Ravi Kahlon defended the site, stating it "is saving lives."
- Interior Health has operated the supervised consumption site on Pandosy Street since 2021, with Mayor Tom Dyas citing 3,466 police calls, 371 medical incidents, 24 fires, and 420 bylaw calls to justify the closure request.
- BrainTrust Canada Association executive director Amanda McFarlane argues the site needs rework rather than closure, citing over 37,000 visits in 2025 with 75 recorded overdoses and zero deaths.
- Calling the timing "political pandering," Loyal Wooldridge warned that "politically driven quick fixes won't resolve" the crisis, comparing removing services without alternatives to "pushing a balloon underwater."
- To address addiction on city streets, Mayor Tom Dyas advocates for "mandatory compassionate care" and expanded treatment services, stressing the need for a regional facility within the Okanagan.
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6 Articles
6 Articles
Non-profit says Kelowna supervised consumption site should be reworked, not simply closed
Kelowna's downtown supervised consumption site is deeply flawed, but the plug should not be pulled without a viable replacement model, says an Okanagan non-profit. BrainTrust Canada says neither the current model nor a sudden closure will 'adequately protect vulnerable residents or the broader commu...
·Kelowna, Canada
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Kelowna, B.C., mayor asks feds to shut consumption site after 3,400 police visits
The mayor and council in Kelowna, B.C., have called on Ottawa to shut a supervised consumption site in the city’s downtown core, saying its impacts, including thousands of police call-outs and “significant and ongoing public safety risks,” have become unsustainable.
·Toronto, Canada
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Total News Sources6
Leaning Left3Leaning Right0Center2Last UpdatedBias Distribution60% Left
Bias Distribution
- 60% of the sources lean Left
60% Left
L 60%
C 40%
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