Castlegar City Council approved BC Housing's shelter application, but not without reservations regarding the site's drug use policy.
Unlike Castlegar's winter shelter that does not allow drug consumption on site, the new permanent shelter will allow drug use and provide overdose prevention services as well as safe supplies such as needles.
BC Housing spokesperson Tyler Baker told council the shelter will include a designated room where people can use substances and be monitored by staff.
Baker said harm reduction services are integral to BC Housing's shelter model.
"Not providing those harm reduction services on site isn't going to mean people won't be using drugs," said Baker. "It means they will be going off site in the community to use those drugs. We will see the impacts of that in the neighbourhood, the RCMP response, bylaw responses, first responders ..."
Councillor Shirley Fahlstead suggested council not allow the on-site drug use and related drug services as part of the permit's approval.
But Baker said BC Housing doesn't operate shelters without overdose prevention services, effectively taking that choice away from local government.
"I think our model is very broken in how we are doing it right across the province," said Mayor Maria McFaddin who also did not like the operational plans regarding drug use.
"Unfortunately we have to work within it and so I have to look at the implications of not doing it. And the implications of not doing it are going to be that those who have addictions issues are going to decentralize from that location and end up in the neighbourhood, and the challenges that will take on."
McFaddin said the way the province is trying to help people with addictions is broken, noting the lack of available supports and long wait times for rehab centres.
"I feel like I am making decisions today I wouldn't be making if we had proper systems in place," said McFaddin.
"We need to fix this, especially in rural communities, and until we do, we are stuck having to make these kind of decisions. So we have to look at the negative implications of not allowing this [drug use] on that site. You are still going to have the same problem, it's just that we have less control when it is not on the same site."
The approval of the Temporary Use Permit for the shelter has annual reviews built in. McFaddin said she would specifically be looking at how the drug use policies and services have been working at the next review with an eye towards making adjustments if needed.
In the end, council passed the motion approving the permit for the 20-bed shelter at 2245 6 Ave., with Fahlstead being the only councillor to vote against it.
