Fault lines: Fraser Health blames City of Chilliwack for closure of overdose prevention site, but Mayor Ken Popove says it's on them
Trethewey Avenue centre became a victim of its own success, and provincial officials need to find a permanent solution that meets safety codes, mayor says
March 31, 2026
Fraser Health is blaming the City of Chilliwack for the imminent closure of the supervised drug overdose prevention site at the Chilliwack Wellness Centre on Trethewey Avenue after three years of service, but Mayor Ken Popove says, no, it's on them.
With the sudden news of the closure of the OPS that also offers meals, showers, laundry, wound care and is home to 30 low-barrier shelter beds, many questioned whether Fraser Health and/or BC Housing pulled funding, or if came down to city hall reversing its decision not to not enforce its own bylaws and zoning regulations.
When asked however, the answer is somewhat unclear as Fraser Health and the mayor blame one another.
“The land-use waiver for the site has been withdrawn by the City of Chilliwack,” a Fraser Health spokesperson told Something Worth Reading in an email on Monday (March 30, 2026). “As a result, the Chilliwack Wellness Centre overdose prevention service will close permanently on April 1, 2026.
“Fraser Health’s medical health officer has written to the City of Chilliwack in support of keeping the site open.”
Mayor Popove, however, says Fraser Health is wrong to blame the city since it’s the health authority's responsibility and jurisdiction to run overdose prevention sites in suitable locations.
“Fraser Health is blaming us, which is not correct,” he told this reporter Monday evening. “It's Fraser Health’s decision shutting down that place down.”
OK, let’s clarify this he-said/she-said. The short version is that the Chilliwack Wellness Centre, which is run by the Lookout Housing & Health Society was a pilot project in a less-than-ideal location that turned into a victim of its own success.
So they are both telling the truth, form their perspective. They are both right, mostly.
Beginning to end
Twenty years ago, the building at 45951 Trethewey Ave. was the offices of the Chilliwack Times when this reporter came to town, a place where the newspaper was produced until the end of 2016 when the Times was closed by Black Press.
It lay empty for a number of years. Reportedly was allegedly being used as a commercial cannabis grow operation, something certainly possible based on the extensive electrical infrastructure upgrades running to the building.
In 2022, the location was first used as a pilot project by the city as a day centre for unhoused people in the community.
Fraser Health runs overdose prevention sites (OPS) across the region, and this element was added to the Chilliwack Wellness Centre later on. For his part, Mayor Popove said “I hate pilot projects” because when they work, well, they work and then they still have to be shut down. After a while, seeing that the Centre was doing good work, Popove said they went to sit down with BC Housing and Fraser Health.
“We said, ‘hey, this thing's working. Let's keep it going,’ And the only way BC Housing would support that is if they could put 30 beds in there.”
It did not seem a suitable place for beds but, to get funding, they compromised.
The problem then became that the location does not meet the BC Building Code for this use nor the city’s zoning bylaw. In March 2024, council made a temporary policy resolution to forego enforcing the Code or the bylaw to support operations until the end of 2026.
Still, running the Chilliwack Wellness Centre in the commercial building on Trethewey as an OPS with day services and 30 shelter beds was never a suitable long-term location. As the day services became even more of a success, the usage skyrocketed.
Neighbouring businesses complained even more than they already had. There were ongoing safety issues inside from the fire department’s perspective and outside from the RCMP's fanning out in a several block radius. Potential legal liabilities were piling up for a shelter with an OPS that started as a day-use pilot project.
“I don't know if you've [looked at] the numbers from Lookout,” Popove said. “It's incredible. There are three or four hundred contacts a day.” (A “contact” referring to somebody walking in the door. One person might walk in more than once.)
With a growing population of unhoused and substance-addicted people on the streets, be it from pandemic-related hard times or influx from elsewhere, it became too much in recent months. So in February, city council rescinded the 2024 policy resolution and directed staff to seek compliance with the BC Building Code and the city’s zoning bylaw.
“It served its purpose,” Popove said.
In its statement, Fraser Health said it funded the Lookout Housing and Health Society to operate the OPS at the Chilliwack Wellness Centre since 2023, which also serves as a way for teams to connect with clients.
“We recognize the important role the Chilliwack Wellness Centre overdose prevention service plays in supporting people who rely on these services,” the Fraser Health statement reads. “The closure could displace individuals into the surrounding community, increase substance use in isolation, and reduce the timely response to toxic drug events and medical emergencies. Fraser Health’s medical health officer has written to the City of Chilliwack in support of keeping the site open.”
The agency said they are “actively exploring options to maintain access to overdose prevention services in Chilliwack.”
Currently they exist only at Ruth & Naomi’s Mission on Margaret Avenue downtown. So whoever is responsible, will the closure of the OPS as of Wednesday (April 1, 2026) impact the community?
That’s where Fraser Health and the mayor agree, to a certain extent.
“Ruth & Naomi’s is working on some strategies to do some work on theirs as well,” Popove said. "We're not leaving anybody high and dry…. There’s gonna be some short-term pain. Yep, you're probably gonna see some more folks downtown. [With] bylaw, RCMP, we're all over that. We're well aware of what's gonna happen, but at the end of the day, and I'm gonna stick by my words: Chilliwack is full. Don't send me no more people, because we can't house any more people. That's the word I need to get out there.”
As for a proper more permanent OPS, there is also some agreement here between the city and Fraser Health.
“To ensure the safety of their clients, we have long encouraged Fraser Health to use a location they currently own that meets the BC Building Code and has the proper zoning for an overdose prevention service site,” Popove said in a follow-up email statement Tuesday.
“Fraser Health is actively exploring options to maintain access to overdose prevention services in Chilliwack,” according to Fraser Health.
As for the shelter beds, the 30 will remain in use until June 30, which is when the 49-bed Phoenix Society building is finally scheduled to open at the end of Trethewey. That facility will have an OPS on site, but only for residents, not the general public.
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The following is a response from BC Housing regarding the closure of the Chilliwack Wellness Centre on March 31 at 2:30 p.m., after this story was posted:
"BC Housing is working with partners to close the 30-bed shelter at the Chilliwack Wellness Centre by June 30, 2026. This timing is planned to align with the opening of a 49-unit supportive housing building with a 42-bed shelter nearby on Trethewey Avenue, resulting in a net-gain of 49 homes and 12 shelter beds.
"We will work with partners to ensure that shelter guests have a place to stay when the Chilliwack Wellness Centre closes. The day-use space and Overdose Prevention Site are operated by Lookout, with funding from Fraser Health. The closure of the Wellness Centre and OPS is the result of the City not supporting an extension beyond March 31, and is not related to funding.
"The 30-bed shelter co-located with the Chilliwack Wellness Centre was never planned to be permanent, and was approved to operate by the City of Chilliwack through a temporary bylaw exemption agreement while construction of a permanent facility was underway.
"We expect the supportive housing and shelter beds at Trethewey Avenue to open in the coming months. Once complete, shelter guests currently accessing the Chillwack Wellness Centre will have access to indoor spaces at the new Rowat-Tretheway supportive housing and shelter project. More information about this project is available here: Chilliwack – Trethewey Avenue - Supportive Housing | Let's Talk Housing BC."
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