Rideau-Vanier Councillor Mathieu Fleury says he will not visit Overdose Prevention Ottawa's unsanctioned supervised injection site unless they move.
Fleury met with organizers at his office Tuesday to discuss the site.
He tells Newstalk 580 CFRA's Ottawa Now with Evan Solomon that he still feels Raphael Brunet Park is not an appropriate place for it.
“I’ve certainly visited the sanctioned supervised injections services of Ottawa Public Health,” Fleury says, “but I have not gone to the OPO site on the premise that I want to make sure they move out of the location. There’s a continual build-up of tension in my community.”
Fleury is suggesting they move to the parking lot of the Shepherds of Good Hope, something he admits the Shepherds is apprehensive about.
“Certainly there’s an apprehension,” he says. “It would impact their application to Health Canada is their main concern, and all the elements of insurance and so on.”
Fleury says he is willing to work with OPO and others to consider different locations.
“The fact that they’re open to changing locations, and they recognize the park doesn’t work, leaves us with a lot of options,” Fleury says. “I’m confident that the leaders at Ottawa Public Health will be able to propose something.”
A statement from OPO says they've assured Fleury they will continue to discuss the Health Canada-approved injection site on Clarence Street with their guests at the pop up site.
