Kelowna could soon have a permanently monitored injection site downtown on Leon Avenue, and that doesn’t go well with some local businesses.
Nick Sintichackis owns both Tonic’s Pub and Yama’s Greek Restaurant, which are opposite the proposed location, and says he and other local business owners think the location is a poor choice.
“We are totally, totally, totally against a place on 477 Leon Avenue,” he told Radio West presenter Josh Pagé. “The consequences of a square there would be very damaging for the entire city center.
“People Leaving the Safe Injections Business, onto the Street: Who will be monitoring these people? Will these people be a nuisance to employees or families with children who go downtown with their parents?”
Sintichackis says downtown Kelowna is trying to undergo a renovation and he fears the monitored injection site would cause damage and litter if new companies attempt to invade the area.
The site was first proposed by the Interior Health Authority last month as Kelowna has one of the highest overdose deaths in the area.
Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran and other community professionals have already expressed their support for an establishment in the city.
“People are dying and they are dying on our streets. This may be an opportunity for them to use and be closer to help when they need it,” Basran told CBC earlier this year.
According to Sintichackis, a mobile facility would be a better solution to spread the service across the city.
Sintichackis says he and other companies will “act accordingly” based on how Interior Health proceeds with the proposed location.
Thursday is the final day for public contributions through the Interior Health website on proposals in Kelowna and Kamloops.
With files from CBC Radio One’s Radio West
To hear the full interview, click on the audio labeled Kelowna Business Owner “totally, totally, totally against” the monitored injection site
