Saskatoon supervised consumption site receives no part of province's addiction funding for 4th year

Prairie Harm Reduction has been seeking government funding for its supervised consumption sites for four straight years.

Kayla Demong, Prairie Harm Reduction's executive director, was disappointed to see no funding for the supervised consumption sites again in the 2023-24 provincial budget.

"The safe consumption site isn't just a place where people come and use, it's a community here and it's a place where people come and use their substances with the support of our paramedic and our staff," DeMong said.

"But they're also connected to other services that we have here and are assisted with whatever they are asking for help with." 

Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Everett Hindley said the government will instead focus on "treatment and recovery," with $2.3 million is going toward the second phase of a commitment to creating 150 additional addictions treatment beds. 

"What everybody is looking for in this space is what the government can do to help support treatment and recovery in the long term to help people be able to turn lives around," Hindley said. 

He added that spreading accessibility to naloxone kits and expanding overdose outreach teams is also part of the government's plan, but it isn't ready to fund supervised consumption sites at this time.  

DeMong would like the ministry to reconsider that stance.

"What we want to see is an understanding that people who use substances deserve help while they are using, not just when they want recovery," DeMong said. 

"Dead people don't recover and because of the services that are provided at the safe consumption site they are alive, and they are alive to access services and resources." 

DeMong said there is nothing wrong with increasing spending around treatment and recovery, but a full spectrum of support is needed. 

She added that accessing recovery is not at the top of the list of needs for many of the 700 people who use the supervised consumption site. 

"It's a much higher priority to find housing and somewhere to sleep, to get medical care and mental health support," DeMong said.

Overdose deaths on the rise in Sask. 

In 2022 the Saskatchewan Coroners Service found a record number of drug toxicity deaths, with 245 confirmed and 169 suspected.

There have been 103 suspected deaths during the first two months of 2023, according to the Saskatchewan Coroners Service.

Hindley questioned the efficacy of supervised consumption sites when speaking to reporters on Thursday.

"I would ask the question, are supervised consumption sites working in British Columbia, as they continue to have record overdose deaths," Hindley said. 

Prairie Harm Reduction had 11 overdoses last year, but only one required EMS to attend, according to DeMong. She says no one has ever died from an overdose at the supervised consumption site in the three years it has been running. 

"If overdoses want to be used as an excuse not to fund the safe consumption site, that doesn't apply here because we haven't had any," DeMong said. 

Prairie Harm Reduction's family support programs and youth homes receive funding through the Ministry of Social Services, but the supervised consumption site relies on donations and sales of merchandise to keep running.