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Safe injection site in a Trudeau minister’s riding has become a political football
Residents complaining that it’s too close to an elementary school feel ignored by politicians and ‘the ones that are responding are basically just gaslighting us,’ they say
OTTAWA — A new injection and inhalation centre near a Montreal elementary school is angering parents, business owners and residents who want it closed but the federal government and the province aren’t backing down.
For André Lambert, who moved to Saint-Henri 15 years ago, it’s ruining a calm and close-knit community.
“That changed drastically since the Maison Benoit Labre centre has been actually opened,” he said.
Since April, the centre has provided a safe-consumption centre, 36 transitional apartments, food, clothing and a place to rest. The project required authorization from Health Canada and is carried out at the provincial level in collaboration with municipal authorities.
The centre is located 200 meters from Lambert’s property, across the street from the Atwater Market and near the Lachine Canal National Historic Site, in the heart of Immigration Minister Marc Miller’s riding.
More alarmingly to the residents, it is located 180 meters from the Victor-Rousselot elementary school.
