North Bay parents upset about safe consumption site's proposed location

A consideration to put a safe consumption site near two schools and a retirement home on Chippewa Street is outraging parents in North Bay.

Every day, Jason Gendron has to drop his son off at École élémentaire catholique Saints-Anges. The school is located just steps away from the Northern Pines low-barrier homeless shelter and transitional housing units.

"It's kind of hard to explain to him when he sees certain things and try and tell him what's going on with the misfortune," Gendron said.

The District of Nipissing Social Services Administration Board (DNSSAB) is considering implementing a safe consumption site at the shelter.

The shelter is located across the street from Chippewa Secondary School, beside a retirement home and there's another school down the street from it.

Parents with kids who attend the two neighbouring schools told CTV News they are upset.

"One day, I've dropped my children off at school, my oldest child forgot his homework," recalled parent Dwight Wagner. "We drove home. Upon returning, an ambulance was there because of an individual who OD'd."

A safe consumption site offers a chance for drug users to be medically supervised while taking substances to prevent overdoses and deaths.

"What we're trying to do there is establish something that works in the walls of that building," said DNSSAB Board Chair Mark King about the Chippewa Street location.

The board is working with a committee made up of community agencies such as the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit and emergency medical services to find ways to stop people from overdosing on city streets.

King said a major problem is drugs that are being recovered are laced with other harmful substances.

"These people in crisis are real people that require supports," he said. "What I'm trying to do in my position is offer supports."

The board is also considering options to make the consumption site mobile, he added.

King offered no timeline for a decision on a location for the site, saying these are preliminary discussions to gauge how the community feels about the idea.

Both Wagner and Gendron believe a safe consumption site is needed in the city, but believe another location would be more ideal.

In a statement to CTV News, the Near North District School Board safe schools team said:

"The number one priority of Near North District School Board is safety and well-being of our students. However, often decisions are made by local organizations over which the board does not have control."