‘This is a wake-up call’: UCP releases findings of supervised consumption sites review

CALGARY (660 NEWS) – The United Conservative government says a report into supervised consumption sites brings some troubling results.

Speaking in Calgary Thursday morning, Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Jason Luan says the final report found serious problems with supervised consumption services.

“This report is a wake-up call for Alberta. Every one of us deserves to feel safe in our communities, and every Albertan struggling with addiction should be able to access the supports they need. We will consider this report, and all other relevant evidence, as we develop a comprehensive, long-term approach that works. That means improving addiction treatment services and supports to create a full continuum of care across the province.”

The committee was established last summer following different reports showing a rise in crime around the consumption sites like the one at the Sheldon Chumir Centre in Calgary.

Schweitzer brings up the incident in Lethbridge where a security officer was sprayed by a user's needle. That happened outside a SCS, there's literally no way to assume if the site didn't exist then that sort of thing wouldn't happen

— Tom Ross (@Tommy_Slick) March 5, 2020

“For over a decade, we’ve been told we just need to ensure addicts do drugs safely,” Premier Jason Kenney wrote on Facebook last year. “Enabling someone to commit slow-motion suicide, to throw their life away, is not compassion.”

Luan says the eight-member review panel heard allegations of “financial irregularities” at Arches, the non-profit agency overseeing the safe consumption site in Lethbridge.

He says auditors went to Arches this week to collect documentation and he’ll have more to say in the coming weeks.

The final report showed a rise in needle debris around the sites and an increase in opioid-related calls for emergency services and the use of non-opioid drugs leading to aggressive behaviour.

The government will review the report and consider changes to supervised consumption services and other addiction treatment resources, on a city-by-city basis.

“Our committee heard from thousands of passionate Albertans, and reviewed a wide range of data and evidence sources to examine what impact these services are having on the communities around them, said chair of the review committee Rob Knecht. “The findings may be difficult for some to hear, but are vital to improving the health and well-being of those who use the sites and those who live in surrounding neighbourhoods.”

Last year, the UCP government said it was funding millions toward abstinence-based recovery and treatment options.

Minister Luan describes a “system of chaos” around SCS in Alberta. He says changes will be made on a city-by-city basis. pic.twitter.com/ziyMnEyeu8

— Crystal Laderas (@CrisLaderas) March 5, 2020

There are currently seven sites in Alberta, in Edmonton, Calgary and Lethbridge, with proposals for one each in Red Deer and Medicine Hat and another one in Calgary.

 

-with files from The Canadian Press