Opposition leader calls on Sask. premier to do more to address addictions crisis
Province says further harm reduction initiatives under consideration
Saskatchewan Opposition NDP Leader Ryan Meili called on the province Tuesday to take immediate action to support people living with addictions.
People died at unprecedented rates in 2020 and there were already 75 suspected overdose deaths in 2021 as of Feb. 28, according to Saskatchewan Coroners Service data. Meili said the province needs to invest more in harm reduction services, including supervised consumption sites.
"What we really need to do is go beyond what partisan preference there is, what ideology is involved, and look at the evidence," Meili said. "Overdoses are happening all the time. Many, many more people have come very close to dying and we need to stop that."
Supervised consumption sites are places where people can safely use drugs in the presence of medical support and get connected with other support services.
Last year, the province declined Prairie Harm Reduction's (PHR's) request for $1.3 million to be used to staff a 24/7 supervised consumption site in Saskatoon. Instead of opening as overdoses were spiking, the centre had to spend months fundraising. The site eventually opened because of community support, with limited capacity and hours.
"The fact that [the government] sat on their hands, refused to make a million dollars available, such a tiny portion of the provincial budget or provincial health budget to support evidence based prevention, shows how little they care and how afraid they are of taking a risk to offend," Meili said of the province's rejection of PHR's funding request.
Meili said supervised consumption sites reduce fatalities and also help stop the spread of HIV and hepatitis C. He said the province should fund the Saskatoon site and others throughout the province, as well as remote services for smaller communities.
"If they don't do that, if they don't take those actions, it sends the message that these lives that are being lost are less important, that they just don't care."
The NDP also called on the government to make Naloxone kits available for free at pharmacies across the province.
A spokesperson for the provincial Ministry of Health said that in 2020-21, the province put $1.75 million toward harm reduction programs. They wrote that further initiatives are being considered for the upcoming budget, but did not commit to funding the supervised consumption site in Saskatoon.
The province said take-home Naloxone kits are available at 45 sites in 30 communities and that more than 8,400 kits were distributed in this fiscal year. It said talks are still ongoing about expanding partnerships with pharmacies. It also listed initiatives such as 20 new inpatient and four pre-treatment addictions beds in Estevan, and additional ER addictions workers in Regina, Saskatoon and Prince Albert, as recent investments.
"Government is committed to providing a continuum of mental health and addiction services that focus on prevention, awareness, harm reduction, education and treatment, including targeted interventions for opioids and crystal meth use," the province said.
Meili said more must be done.
"This is hundreds of people losing their lives. This is a danger of many more losing their lives. This is a serious public health emergency," he said. "All we can do is keep the pressure on."
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