The owner of the Gourmet Warehouse, a store in Vancouver for all your essential kitchen needs, is under fire after she shared a petition online, which was later pulled.
Caren McSherry, the owner of Gourmet Warehouse, shared a link to the petition on the store’s Facebook page, which is where much of the discussion has stemmed from.
The petition, which as of Tuesday morning had over 1,300 signatures, was started by Christina Valagao, one of the executives at the Gourmet Warehouse.
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Methadone misunderstanding?
If you’ve never been to the Gourmet Warehouse, it’s a one-stop shop for housewares and unique specialty foods for home cooks and professionals.
According to the petition, a new City of Vancouver development on East Hastings Street is the cause of the dismay of the kitchen store; however, as folks in the comments pointed out, it was misunderstood.
McSherry’s Facebook post said, “Please help Gourmet Warehouse by signing this petition to stop a proposed methadone site from opening next to our store.”
The now-removed post. (Facebook)
Nothing in the application suggested that it was a methadone site.
Planning documents on the Shape Your City page suggest that the development was a pharmacy from Pillosophy Pharmacy planned for the East Hastings site. Many pharmacies dispense methadone. Methadone is an opioid itself, and it helps folks suffering from opioid withdrawal or dependency, among its other uses.
“The southern part of Grandview-Woodland is currently underserved by pharmacy services, with no pharmacy located within a one-kilometre radius. Nearby options operate with limited hours, reduced accessibility, or primarily serve closed patient groups—leaving many residents without reliable access to pharmacy care,” Pillosophy’s application says.
There’s a specific section in the Pillosophy proposal about its intentions on ensuring it’s a good neighbour in the community, stating its “committed to maintaining a safe, clean, and respectful environment for patients, staff, neighbouring tenants, and the broader community.”
Pillosophy responded to Daily Hive’s request for comment, telling us exactly why the petition was closed. According to a Pillosophy spokesperson, it was a misunderstanding on the kitchen store’s part.
“There was a misunderstanding on the application as it was made for a community pharmacy. I have talked to the owner and executive of the Gourmet Warehouse this morning, and they have taken down the petition.”
An update on the petition page, following its closure, states that the kitchen store is in open dialogue with the owner of the proposed pharmacy.
“David has assured us that the primary focus of the proposed pharmacy development is to operate as a regular community pharmacy. Opioid Agonist treatment (e.g. Methadone) will comprise a portion of its services and will be provided in this location on a prescription basis.”
What people said for and against the petition
City of Vancouver/Pillosophy Pharmacy
The concerns stated in the petition were as follows:
“The introduction of a facility distributing controlled substances in our neighbourhood is alarming. We fear it will not only increase high-risk activities but also discourage patrons from visiting nearby businesses. This change will significantly impact the atmosphere,” the petition stated.
It added, “Positioning a pharmacy offering such treatments in this area will intensify existing problems, exacerbating safety concerns and potentially escalating criminal activities.”
It also brought up concerns about schools being near the pharmacy.
“Join us in urging local authorities to reconsider this development’s location for the sake of our community’s safety and prosperity. Please sign this petition to protect our neighbourhood and the livelihood of those who depend on it,” the petition concluded.
In response to the Gourmet Warehouse Facebook post, which has also been taken down, some were celebrating the potential of a new pharmacy in the area, while others were calling out the petition directly.
The Facebook post had nearly 80 comments before it was deleted.
“Sorry, isn’t the application just to build a pharmacy? Lots of pharmacies offer methadone treatment, and most people don’t even notice it’s happening,” one user commented.
As another user pointed out, methadone isn’t even mentioned in the documents.
“This is literally just a regular pharmacy with regular pharmacy things…if anything, it looks like it will be kind of bougie. There is not even a mention of methadone on the business application.”
One user noted that the planned pharmacy isn’t even on the same block as Gourmet Warehouse. The Gourmet Warehouse is located at 1340 East Hastings St., while the development application is for 1502 East Hastings St.
Google Maps/Facebook
“Give me a fkn break.. Safeway and Shoppers both provide methadone. Maybe never shop there again either,” one person responded.
Despite the generally negative reaction, several people commented in support and claimed they signed the petition, including one Facebook user who said, “Signed! Already have to dodge enough of them.”
Someone else who signed the petition wrote, “I shop Gourmet Warehouse all the time and sadly will not likely visit again if there is a methadone site next door. There is too much of this in our Strathcona neighbourhood. Enough is enough!”
Some other folks who signed the petition did so to voice support for the pharmacy, like one change.org user who said, “It is wrong to deny people of this treatment.”
The development application is accepting feedback from the public until Aug. 7.
We are awaiting a reply from Gourmet Warehouse to our request for comment.