As concerned residents of Vancouver, BC, we are deeply disturbed about the growth of "overdose prevention sites" and the easy access to drugs in our city and province. Drug crime is rampant, and the presence of these government-run facilities in the City only exacerbates the problem. Why this issue and why now?

Community safety - These government sites are placed in residential neighbourhoods, often near our city parks, playgrounds and schools. There are documented cases of nearby drug dens with occupants in possession of numerous guns, machetes and rampant drug supplies.

There are documented cases of newborn babies being threathened to be raped and beaten to death with a stick by drug users enabled by our City and Provincial governments. This is because harmful drugs are available at Overdose Prevention Sites and other illicit drug use is permitted to occur in plain site of the police and public. When did the rights of violent drug offenders and squatters become more important than the rights of our kids, hard working families and peaceful law-abiding citizens?

Chief Health Officer, Dr Bonnie Henry, publicly states that "Public Safe Supply" of harmful drugs such as fentanyl and methamphetamine to dangerous drug addicts and squatters in our city parks "takes precedence over the harms to the population from diversion". Effectively, the province wants to put your family and your kids in harm's way in order to provide criminals with free government sanctioned drugs.

There is no evidence that the BC Government's strategies have had any impact on drug overdose numbers in Vancouver as the trajectory has grown exponentially. The overdose problem has only worsened under the Province's policies of "safe supply" and "decriminalization". Has our community safety, and the state of public drug use and crime, improved in the last 10 years? No.

Working families in Vancouver, property tax paying residents, and all those that expect to live in a safe community environment with their children and grandchildren, have earned the expectation that the City of Vancouver and BC Government prioritize our community's safety and stop supplying taxpayer funded drugs and facilities to criminals. Please sign this petition in support and thank you for keeping our playgrounds and schools clean and safe!!