A supervised consumption site for Richmond, B.C., was ditched. Why are critics still so furious?

Plans for supervised consumption sites sometimes result in a community backlash, but the response in Richmond, B.C., has lasted long after authorities said in mid-February that a proposal to explore the idea had been scrapped.

Tony Li was unequivocal when asked if he had ever discussed drugs with his university-age daughter.

“It has never even crossed my mind,” said Li, a resident of Richmond, B.C., who was among a large group protesting against the idea of a supervised drug consumption site in the city on Feb. 19.

“Doing drugs is a criminal act. What else is there to say?”

Plans for supervised consumption sites sometimes result in a community backlash but the response in the Metro Vancouver community of Richmond, population 210,000, has been intense and protracted, lasting long after authorities said in mid-February that a proposal to explore the idea had been scrapped.

Protesters have chanted, cheered and sobbed at city hall, marched by the hundreds and organized petitions.

Health Canada lists 46 official supervised consumption sites across the country, nine of them in B.C., operating under federal exemptions to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and offering places where people can use drugs in a “safe, non-judgmental environment.”

It says users are provided sterile drug-use equipment, and social, medical, and mental-health services, and that the sites prevent overdoses and the spread of diseases.