Red Deer council wants Alberta government to remove city’s supervised consumption site

Red Deer’s city council is asking the Alberta government to remove the city’s Overdose Prevention Site (OPS) and replace it with recovery services.

The formal request includes an “orderly transition of the existing OPS” by the end of 2025, to provide “greater harm-reducing options” in its place that focus on “health, wellness, and recovery.” This includes medication-assisted treatment, recovery coaches, counsellors, and “culturally appropriate health and wellness supports.”

Red Deer council is also asking for grant funding for more police presence around the OPS and temporary shelter, and increased front-line support for mental health and addictions within the area to “address the root causes leading to drug and alcohol addictions.”

A notice of motion was put forward on Dec. 18, 2023, by Coun. Vesna Higham as the city does not have the authority to close it because it’s not funded by the municipality.

The decision comes after two days of public hearings starting on Feb. 15, with 40 people attending to share their thoughts.

The majority of the 40 people spoke in favour of the site, the city says.

The OPS is in downtown Red Deer in an ATCO trailer at 5246 53 Avenue next to the Safe Harbour Society. It has operated out of the trailer since the fall of 2018.

Alberta Health Services took over the OPS from the non-profit harm reduction agency Turning Point in June 2023.

“The public hearing and the debate of this motion were harrowing and emotional experiences for everyone,” said Mayor Ken Johnston in a statement. “Each of us have been touched in some way by addiction; we heard that very clearly, and I am no exception. We heard heartfelt testimony from many members of our community, citizens, some who use the OPS, some who are service providers in the community, business owners, doctors, family members that have lost loves ones, and more.

“Council approached this most sensitive of issues with open minds, open ears, and open hearts. We are trying to improve lives for those suffering from addiction. This is a complex challenge, as these are areas where municipalities do not have jurisdiction. What we know is that Red Deer needs robust support from the provincial government for people with addictions; we need support for our community that is grappling with the fallout of addictions; and we need that support in the most immediate way.”

Johnston says he plans on contacting the Ministry of Addictions and Mental Health to discuss this further.

The Alberta government has been moving toward a recovery-oriented model since it took office in 2019. It released a report in 2020 calling consumption sites in the province a “system of chaos.”

However, a research paper from the Canadian Journal of Public Health called it “pseudo-science.” It says the United Conservative-commissioned study is irredeemably flawed by bias against safe consumption sites, in which drug addicts can use illegal substances in a safe and supervised environment.

The report presupposed conclusions that consumption sites were harmful and selected evidence to reinforce that, the paper alleges. In addition, the government report was not peer-reviewed.

Premier Danielle Smith announced a $275 million investment that would include 11 recovery centres in 2023. Red Deer was the first area to open a location last summer.

Supervised consumption sites provide drug users with a judgment-free space to take substances and access medical help if there are any issues, like poisoning or overdose.

There have been 40 deaths caused by overdose in Red Deer from January to October 2023.

-With files from The Canadian Press