Island Health has unilaterally, with no public input, moved to establish an OPIOID SAFE INJECTION SITE (Wellness and Recovery Center) at 5878 York Rd.in North Cowichan (Duncan) BC.

This location is within 2 blocks of 4 schools in the community: Alexander Elementary, Quamichan High, Cowichan High and Duncan Christian School.  These facilities educate, socialize and nurture our kids from preschool to grade 12. The only high schools, for grades 8-12, in the community are two of these facilities.

Local Medical Health Officer, Dr. Shannon Waters (local Medical Health Officer) was asked at a School Board Presentation on the proposed facility and location, if this site and its services would clean the area up the already destitute area.

"NO" was her answer. 

BE A VOICE FOR OUR CHILDREN

SIGN AND SHARE THIS PETITION

MAKE OUR VOICES HEARD AND EXPLICITLY DEMAND THAT THE LOCATION FOR THE OPIOID SAFE INJECTION SITE (Wellness and Recovery Center) at 5878 York Rd.in North Cowichan (Duncan) BE MOVED AWAY FROM THIS SITE AND AWAY FROM OUR CHILDREN.

______________________

Families in existing inner-cities across the world strive to get their kids out of the inner-city and to provide a better tomorrow. Island Health and our Cowichan Leadership Team (councils of Duncan, North Cowichan, the regional district, Cowichan Tribes, the School District, RCMP, our MP and 2 MLAs), by their complacency, ARE BUILDING AN INNER CITY AROUND OUR KIDS.

The spin-off complications resulting from such a site include, but are not limited to:

• Opioids drug trafficking. The safe injection site will provide drugs only during its operating hours of 11 am-6 pm (7hrs a day). The addict has to secure drugs from a dealer for the times they need injections between 7 pm and 11 am (the additional 14 hours a day).  Drug addiction does not conform to a time clock of only when the site is open.
• If the site location is within 2 blocks of 4 schools, it is safe to assume that is where the drug dealers will be, as well.
• Theft and vandalism of surrounding properties etc

Our children who attend school for 184 to189 days a year are right now, and more so, will be put at risk and exposed to harm from the environment that surrounds this type of facility. Our children are left to navigate, on the daily:

• Witnessing and processing traumatic events such as curbside injections, drug-induced sporadic behaviour and overdoses
• Safeguarding themselves from incidences of verbal/sexual harassment or being followed
• Interaction with sex traffickers who have prostitutes in the area and are always on the lookout for susceptible youth - girls and boys,
• Being approached by and responding to dealers who are not particular to whom they sell their drugs.
• Etc

Please note that the prefrontal cortex of the kids we are working to protect is not developed until well past high school. This is the part of the brain from where humans make rational and discerning decisions. These kids can not think, rationalize, and make logical decisions like adults. BE A VOICE FOR OUR CHILDREN

SIGN AND SHARE THIS PETITION

MAKE OUR VOICES HEARD AND EXPLICITLY DEMAND THAT THE LOCATION FOR THE OPIOID SAFE INJECTION SITE (Wellness and Recovery Center) at 5878 York Rd.in North Cowichan (Duncan) BE MOVED AWAY FROM THIS SITE AND AWAY FROM OUR CHILDREN.