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'No drugs in Richmond': Protest held on Family Day

Twenty-six people died in Richmond in 2023 of suspected drug poisonings.

Protesters turned up outside the Richmond Cultural Centre on Family Day holding signs such as "No drugs in Richmond" and "The silent majority has awakened."

This follows a city council decision asking Vancouver Coastal Health to explore setting up a supervised consumption site at Richmond Hospital.

The rally was organized by a "group of Richmond residents" with a press release sent by Ivan Pak, who previously ran for the People's Party of Canada.

"We firmly believe that drugs pose inherent risks, even within a supervised setting," stated the press release.

The statement said they want to emphasize "the importance of addressing the root causes of addiction and argue for the reallocation of resources towards rehabilitation and detox programs."  

Before the council vote last week, put forward by Couns. Kash Heed and Laura Gillanders, hundreds of people came to city hall to protest the motion, holding rallies outside before the meetings.

About 80 speakers spoke on Monday and Tuesday night ahead of the vote.

In the end, city council voted 7-2 in favour.

Couns. Chak Au and Alexa Loo voted against the motion.

Au said he opposed the motion because, since supervised consumption sites were first set up, deaths from toxic drugs have only increased. 

Twenty-six people died in Richmond in 2023 of suspected drug poisonings.

The BC Coroners Service has noted there have been no deaths at supervised consumption sites or overdose prevention sites.

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