BARRIE, ONT. — The City of Barrie is one step closer to finalizing what would be Barrie's first supervised consumption site.
The plans to move forward come with conflicting views on the program and its location from multiple stakeholders on both sides.
Although the proposed site is currently empty at 11 Innisfil Street, it could soon be the new home for the supervised consumption site.
On Tuesday, Barrie council's general committee gave this location a tentative green light, which would offer services to those struggling with opioid addiction.
Mayor Jeff Lehman notes that the community has "seen people dying at alarming rates during the COVID-19 crisis than ever before, and they were already being lost at a frightening rate."
According to city staff, the proposed location is in an area where those who most need the service could get help sooner.
Nonetheless, area residents disagree, like Katherine Hankinson, who has lived in the area for over 31 years. She thinks more could be done to consider other possibilities. She explains that those in the area "don't want this. This is a family neighbourhood. It's a clean neighbourhood. I don't think we deserve anything else dumped on us."
Mayor Lehman believes that there is no perfect place for a supervised consumption site but does comment that it is best placed in an area where people would use it.
If the project is finalized, the site would be run by the Simcoe County Branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association, with help from the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit.
The debate continues at next week's council meeting, with council expected to hear from other stakeholders, including area residents.
If council pushes it through during the upcoming meeting, the application would be sent to the provincial and federal governments for final rubber stamp.
