Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said he will be bringing forward an urgent motion before city council on Tuesday to block the new overdose prevention site in the city’s centre.
Earlier on Tuesday, Vancouver Coastal Health announced that Downtown Vancouver’s only overdose prevention site has been moved to a new location due to public safety concerns.
After a temporary closure of Thomus Donaghy Overdose Prevention Site (OPS), the site has been relocated to Helmcken St.
“Vancouver will not support solutions that fail both those who are struggling and the communities around them,” Sim said in a release.
“We have seen the disastrous impact when OPS sites are introduced without the right planning, oversight, and accountability.”
Sim stated that he will direct city staff to “use all tools available to the city,” including permitting, licensing, servicing, and legal settlements, as bases to prevent the opening of the new OPS.
During the shutdown, a few services have been available at a temporary mobile OPS, but Vancouver Coastal Health says that solution is unable to appropriately meet the needs of the community.
Thomus Donaghy’s new location would provide a secure outdoor space for observed inhalation, as well as a large indoor area for supervised injection and care time.
A robust site management between Vancouver Coastal Health and RainCity is planned to ensure the facility’s success, including landscaping, screening, litter management, access to outreach teams and an embedded recovery navigator for direct connections to treatment services.
Sim said the province needs to step in and follow through on previous commitments regarding mandatory care.
“The status quo doesn’t work, and frankly, it’s never worked,” Sim added in a statement.
“The premier committed to 400 mandatory care beds over a year and a half ago and yet, the City of Vancouver has seen zero beds. That’s completely unacceptable and irresponsible when we are in the middle of a crisis.”
The relocation happens in the midst of illicit drug supplies being the leading cause of death in the province for people aged between 10 to 59 and an ever-growing toxic-drug crisis.
Despite being the only OPS in Vancouver City Centre, the services it provides are life-saving, according to Vancouver Coastal Health. To date, the site has supported 149,603 visits and responded to 480 overdoses.
The new OPS would be located at 900 Helmcken St, with the term beginning in June, and services beginning shortly afterwards.
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Ad Choices
