Alexa Loo vs Rob Howard: What the drug-policy record shows

Evidence standard. A council vote is a recorded action; testimony is a stated proposal; a campaign platform is a pledge. Aster Place is supportive housing with an internal monitored consumption area for residents. It is not the proposed public stand-alone supervised consumption site (SCS) near Richmond Hospital.

At a glance

Issue	Alexa Loo	Rob Howard
Hospital-area SCS study, 2024	Voted against resolution R24/3-7, which passed 7–2.	No council vote in this record.
Aster Place, 2026	Voted against the final three-year permit renewal. Also opposed the two-year version that failed.	Spoke against renewal; proposed phasing out the current BC Housing program within a year and moving residents to appropriate secure treatment facilities.
Campaign pledge	Richmond Strong platform discusses treatment outreach, transitional housing conditions and public safety. See primary link below.	Campaign explicitly pledges to ban supervised injection sites, strengthen D.A.R.E. and Block Watch, and audit safety near schools.

The timeline

22 January 2024: Aster Place renewal

The City minutes say the operator described a monitored consumption area inside the building. The 40-unit permit renewal carried, with no individual opposition by Loo recorded. This supports only the narrow conclusion that the minutes do not show her voting against that renewal; they do not show why she supported it. Council also called for an operations review.

13 February 2024: proposed SCS study

Loo and Chak Au opposed resolution R24/3-7; it passed 7–2. The motion directed a feasibility study for a site in the Richmond Hospital precinct. In a later CityNews interview, Loo explained her objection in terms of public response and the motion's narrow framing. The vote demonstrates opposition to that motion, not a vote on a blanket legal ban.

20 July 2026: Aster Place hearing

Howard asked to end the current BC Housing program over one year and transition residents to proper, secure treatment facilities. Loo opposed the ultimately adopted three-year renewal. The attempted two-year term also failed, with Loo among those opposed. Council separately approved a review of operations and the memorandum of understanding. The minutes report 70 residents had passed through the program and 15 had moved to other housing or communities; those 15 are not a count of treatment successes.

What each proposes now

Howard's S.H.A.P.E. platform uses a direct prohibition pledge for supervised injection sites and specifies D.A.R.E., Block Watch and school-area safety audits. Loo's Richmond Strong platform combines public safety measures with addiction outreach and conditional housing support. A campaign pledge cannot by itself establish what a mayor can deliver: health services and treatment capacity involve provincial partners.

The available records do not establish which approach would reduce overdose deaths or crime more effectively. Nor does opposing one housing renewal prove opposition to all supportive housing, or opposing an SCS study prove opposition to all addiction care.

Video, audio and original records

The July 2026 hearing video and formal minutes are the strongest paired sources for Howard's testimony and Loo's vote. The October 2026 debate and CBC interview are included for readers to hear the candidates in context; this article does not attribute a specific new policy claim to either recording without a verified timestamp. The February 2024 video should be read alongside the formal minutes for the final vote.

Original files, videos and further reading

Photos: Richmond Strong and Rob Howard for Mayor. Composite by Smart Richmond.

Candidate profiles

Alexa Loo · Rob Howard · All candidates