Overdose Awareness and Response St. John's (OARS), a new harm reduction group, has opened St. John's first overdose prevention site as a pop-up tent downtown, in response to rising overdose deaths in Newfoundland and Labrador. The site provides safe use supplies and naloxone, with trained volunteers and nurses on hand. While similar to supervised consumption sites, OARS has not yet applied for federal exemption, aiming for quick setup. The initiative faces mixed public response and political debate, with the RCMP warning of increased drug toxicity deaths and cocaine being the leading cause.
A new harm reduction group is creating a safe space to do drugs in St. John's
CanadaNewfoundland and LabradorSt. John'sN.L. Health ServicesOverdose Awareness and Response St. JohnsRoyal Canadian Mounted PoliceSafe Works Access ProgramLoo VatcherLuca ShaeferHealthNaloxoneFentanyl
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TL;DR: Key points with love ❤️Overdose Awareness and Response St. John's (OARS), a new harm reduction group, has opened St. John's first overdose prevention site as a pop-up tent downtown, in response to rising overdose deaths in Newfoundland and Labrador. The site provides safe use supplies and naloxone, with trained volunteers and nurses on hand. While similar to supervised consumption sites, OARS has not yet applied for federal exemption, aiming for quick setup. The initiative faces mixed public response and political debate, with the RCMP warning of increased drug toxicity deaths and cocaine being the leading cause.
Trending- 1 2003: First supervised consumption site opened in Vancouver.
- 2 2016: Several unsanctioned overdose prevention tents sprung up in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.
- 3 Last year (2024): 74 people died from consuming drugs in Newfoundland and Labrador.
- 4 Last year (2024): Ontario implemented a new law banning drug consumption sites near schools and child-care centres.
- 5 April (2025): RCMP warned of rising drug toxicity deaths in Newfoundland and Labrador.
- 6 Last month (May 2025): Police seized a record amount of fentanyl from a St. John's trailer.
- 7 May 23 (2025): OARS ran its site for the first time.
- 8 May 30 (2025): OARS ran its site for the second time.
- 9 Thursday (2025-06-05): News report on OARS opening.
- 10 Ongoing: OARS plans to run site once a week, long-term goal for indoor location.
- Establishment of an overdose prevention site
- Provision of harm reduction services
- Mixed public response
- Ongoing discussions with government
- Increased awareness of drug toxicity deaths
- Political debate on supervised consumption sites
What: A new harm reduction group, OARS, has opened St. John's first overdose prevention site.
When: Thursday (unspecified date, but article published 2025-06-05), May 23 and May 30 (OARS ran site twice), last year (74 people died from drugs in NL), last month (police seized fentanyl), 2003 (first site in Vancouver), 2016 (unsanctioned tents in Vancouver), last year (Ontario implemented new law).
Where: St. John's (downtown), Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, Vancouver (Downtown Eastside), Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia.
Why: To respond to an increasing number of overdose deaths in Newfoundland and Labrador and provide a safe space for drug use.
How: OARS operates a pop-up tent, providing safe use supplies and naloxone, with trained staff. They are in talks with government but have not yet applied for federal exemption.