Province pauses plan for overdose prevention site in downtown Vancouver amid concerns

VANCOUVER — The B.C. government says it will not open an overdose prevention site in downtown Vancouver amid concerns from the city and businesses.

Health Minister Josie Osborne says the local health authority will not proceed with a site at 900 Helmcken St.

Osborne says there is no planned opening date.

The site was thrust into the spotlight after Vancouver Coastal Health announced this month it had secured the spot as the new permanent location for its downtown overdose prevention site.

The plan has stirred unease as Mayor Ken Sim promised to block the site following the announcement, saying he would “use all tools available” to do so.

Sim, whose ABC party holds seven of the 11 seats in Vancouver’s city council, later launched an urgent motion to prevent the site from opening.

Vancouver Coastal Health said the new location of an overdose prevention site is determined by public health data, and the local health area of Vancouver city centre has the “second-highest rate of overdose deaths” in the health authority’s region.

Osborne says she and her colleagues have heard concerns, and they are committed to taking steps to engage with stakeholders and the community.

Meanwhile, she says the mobile overdose-prevention site will continue to operate to provide a limited number of services in the area.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 27, 2026.