Image: City of Abbotsford / Abbotsford City Council.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Proposed housing project

Abbotsford City Council rejects housing project with drug consumption room near Abbotsford school

Feb 26, 2026 | 7:53 AM

ABBOTSFORD – The Abbotsford City Council has voted almost unanimously to reject a rezoning application for a supportive housing project near an Abbotsford school that would have featured a drug consumption room for its on-site residents.

Abbotsford councillors voted 8-1 this past week to deny rezoning 2270 Martens Street for a supportive housing project backed by BC Housing that would have included an “overdose prevention” site on the premises.

Abbotsford Councillor Dave Loewen was the lone dissenter.

The location of 2270 Martens Street is nearly across the street from the field of Abbotsford Traditional School.

Abbotsford Mayor Ross Siemens says Abbotsford City Council has supported every housing and shelter project brought forward by BC Housing, and says the city remains firmly committed to the principle that people experiencing homelessness deserve safe shelter and access to the supports they need to be well.

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Mayor Siemens says that in 2024, the City of Abbotsford and the province formalized a shared commitment through a memorandum of understanding, which continues to guide its collaborative work under BC Housing’s HEARTH program. That partnership has resulted in a number of successful projects across our community, and it remains an important and valued relationship.

“The proposed project at Martens Park, however, presented a distinct and unique set of circumstances,” Siemens said. “In this case, City Council was required to carefully weigh significant public safety concerns raised by the School District, the Parent Advisory Council, and the Abbotsford Police Department. Given the specific context of the site and its surrounding uses, those concerns ultimately informed Council’s decision.”

Langley-Abbotsford MLA Harman Bhangu applauded council’s decision to vote against the rezoning application.

“Illegal drug consumption and our kids should be kept as far apart as possible,” Bhangu said. “There is no true ‘safe supply’ and this would have placed our strongest resource, our youth, directly at risk from the negative effects that result from the use of illegal drugs. There is a need for supportive housing in Abbotsford – across from a school is the wrong place. I am pleased to see that Mayor Siemens and the vast majority of Abbotsford City Councillors have recognized this fact.”

The proposed housing site was similarly criticized by Abbotsford South MLA Bruce Banman, who blasted the proposed modular building as a drug site close to a school.

“A drug use site across from a school, disguised as seniors housing,” Banman wrote in a July 2025 Facebook post. “That’s what BC Housing is pushing on this community. What was promised as a safe, supportive project for seniors is now being revealed as a facility for active drug users—with a consumption room—steps from where children learn and play. Parents weren’t told. The public wasn’t consulted.”

Mayor Siemens says the door isn’t closed on future supportive housing projects in Abbotsford, so long as they’re in a better location.

“Balancing the urgent need for housing and shelter with neighbourhood context and community safety is never easy,” Siemens said. “While Council was unable to support the Martens Park location, the City of Abbotsford remains committed to working closely with BC Housing to advance future projects that are well‑sited, supported, and successful for both residents and the broader community.”