Business owners and members are invited to join us!

Membership Luncheon & Update
A Safer Place To Be
Tuesday, February 28, 2023
11:45AM to 1PM
Sporty Bar & Grill
Guest speaker: Shane Thomas

Menu
Mixed Greens with house dressing
Chicken breast in a pesto-cream sauce or
Vegetarian pasta
Basmati rice and seasonal vegetables
Mixed Greens with house dressing
Please let us know if you have any dietary requests or if you prefer the vegetarian meal.

Background on ‘A Safer Place to Be’
“A Safer Place to Be” was a collective initiative between agencies to address issues of systemic substance use in individuals and attempt to positively influence behaviour and reduce and mitigate conflict between impacted people suffering from substance use disorders, business owners, and the public in downtown Port Hardy.

The project plan was formed using a lens of personal and public safety, personal rights and freedoms, insurance and liability considerations, cultural and social considerations, equity and reconciliation in our communities, organizational needs of the partners, budgeting and fiscal considerations, and best practices in substance use and recovery services planning.

This project was a response to:

1. A lack of adequate spaces for community members who have low or no housing security concurrent with substance use disorders.

2. Increased community conflict in business areas.

3. Identified need for supports to connect population with services, provide safer places to be that meet needs of all community members.

Outcomes of the Pilot Project
There are multiple perspectives that have been brought forward around the impact of the 4 month project from different perspectives

1) Health—increase in connection with a wider range of community members who are involved with active substance use disorders, notice a shift in location and an increase in ownership in space to some extent. Increased knowledge about what motivates people who use alcohol in public, housing status and needs of this population. Noticed that this population feels more supported and increasing feeling of being valued by decision makers.

2) Police—small shift in numbers, however regarded as a positive outcome in reduction of poor interactions and reduction in brewing conflict, considered to headed in correct direction but does not address all concerns.

3) Ambulance —Information pending, some limited reports of decrease in use.

4) District of Port Hardy—ongoing reports from pubic around disorder and disagreement around project’s approach, ongoing concerns about staff safety, and concerns about levels of garbage and concerns levels of resource use.

About Shane Thomas
Shane is the Practice Lead for the Island Health Mental Health and Substance Use services in Mt. Waddington. He is a registered social worker and has worked with persons struggling with substance use and trauma for twenty years in various settings in British Columbia and the U.K. Shane has lived in the region since 2006, residing in Port Hardy and Sointula.