Kelowna mayor asks feds to shut consumption site, says police sent there 3,400 times

Kelowna's mayor, Tom Dyas, has requested federal authorities to shut down a supervised consumption site on Pandosy Street, claiming that police have been called to the location over 3,400 times in the past five years, causing significant impacts on crime rates. The site, which opened in 2021, has seen more than 37,000 visits and responded to 75 overdose events without a fatality in 2025.

However, Kelowna's chief medical health officer, Dr. Sue Pollock, acknowledges that the challenges facing the downtown area are complex and require collaboration among various stakeholders. Despite years of engagement, public safety concerns around the site remain unacceptable, and the decision to shut down the site is not taken lightly due to the devastating impacts of the drug crisis. Health Canada has not yet commented on the request.