Surrey, B.C. (November 18, 2025): Surrey First Councillor Linda Annis says city council made the right decision last night as it directed city staff to work with BC Housing to remove the portions of its South Surrey housing proposal that enabled onsite drug use.

 

 “Like others on council, I support affordable and supportive housing, but cannot support housing that enables and allows onsite drug use,” noted Annis. “The community and city council were loud and clear last night that drug use should not be part of public housing projects in our city. The fact is, that sort of housing model has failed repeatedly and the focus should be on treatment, rather than enabling drug use onsite.”

  

Annis, who toured the Red Fish Healing Centre for Mental Health and Addiction in Coquitlam earlier this month, says the 105-bed program for people with addiction and mental health issues, is a model that should be scaled up in other communities, including Surrey.

  

“The Red Fish Healing Centre works, and rather than providing housing that allows onsite drug use, we should be looking at treatment and care that can make a real and positive difference in the lives of individuals in need, and their communities,” added Annis. “The failed BC Housing model that provides housing that enables ongoing drug use is opposed by communities who see the chaos, and end up living with the negative consequences of that type of project. We need to do better, and Red Fish-type projects make much more sense because they provide care and treatment.”