Overdose prevention site in Vancouver’s downtown core not reopening: minister

published on May 27, 2026 by Akshay Kulkarni in CBC News

B.C.’s health minister said Wednesday that an overdose prevention site (OPS) in Vancouver’s downtown core will not be proceeding, after backlash from the city’s mayor and business groups.

The site, which was set to be the new location for an OPS that previously was in the Yaletown neighbourhood, was to be located on 900 Helmcken St.

Its lease was scheduled to start on June 1, with Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) saying services at the site — which would see trained staff watch people using drugs and preventing deaths — would have started shortly after.

But Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim and local business associations said there was little consultation before the location was announced, and Sim even passed a motion to use city resources to block the site…