Kayla DeMong vows to fight the good fight at Prairie Harm Reduction in Saskatoon

The new head of Prairie Harm Reduction in Saskatoon says the coming months will reveal what type of province Saskatchewan is.

Kayla DeMong recently replaced Jason Mercredi as executive director at the organization, which runs a supervised drug consumption site in the city.

One of the central challenges facing the site is getting money to operate.

The site has consistently been denied government funding.

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DeMong has worked at Prairie Harm Reduction for the past decade. She's also struggled with substance abuse herself. DeMong is acutely aware of the value of the supervised drug consumption site and knows the arguments around its merits.

Last week, a task force created in 2017 to look into the province's drug crisis released a report. People who contributed highlighted a need for reduced wait lists for addictions and mental health services, increased capacity and hours at detox, treatment and aftercare centres, the decriminalization of drugs, access to a safe drug supply and support for harm reduction services — including supervised consumption sites. 

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For DeMong, the findings in the report mean the time for talk is over. She said the data is out there and the message is clear.

Now, with a new provincial budget looming, we'll find out whether there is the resolve to do what needs to be done, she said.

"I think it's clear from the report that harm reduction supports are needed not only in our urban centres but across our province," she said Tuesday on CBC's Saskatoon Morning.

"When you go through the report, it's not only the peoples' lived experiences that are asking for this funding and saying these are necessary services, it's the service providers and our community leaders as well."

DeMong noted that Prairie Harm Reduction does not only operate a safe drug consumption site. It also does outreach work with families and youth.

One of the things she's learned is the importance of having resources readily available.

"The resources have to be available when people need them, not two or three months down the line," she said.