Zero funding for safe consumption site in Sask. provincial budget 'devastating'

For the third year in a row, funding for the safe consumption site at Prairie Harm Reduction (PHR) in Saskatoon was not included in the province’s budget released on Wednesday.

Kayla DeMong, executive director at PHR, says the only word that comes to mind when she thinks of the news: “devastating.”

PHR says it asked for $1.3 million in funding from the province to provide services 24/7. It did submit three options total that varied in hours and cost — but all were declined.

According to its website, the safe consumption site is a service that “prevents overdoses and other adverse medical effects associated with using drugs by having people use drugs under the observation of a primary care paramedic.”

The money would go towards staffing and keeping the doors open.

In 2021, the consumption site was used by 508 people, making up a total of 3,680 total visits, according to a PHR news release on Wednesday.

According to the Saskatchewan Coroners Service, there were 290 confirmed drug toxicity deaths in 2021 and 321 in 2020. There have been three confirmed deaths in the province as of Feb. 28 of this year.

“The effect is really directly to them (users) and with the increase of overdose deaths in our community, the result is that people will continue to see people die,” DeMong told CTV News.

While the safe consumption site is not part of the provincial budget, it includes funding which the Sask. Party government is calling its "largest investment ever" focused on helping people with mental health and addictions challenges.

Of the $470 million, a total of $67 million is devoted to addictions with $2.1 million pledged to help add 150 new treatment spaces over the next three years.

“If treatment was the solution, we wouldn’t still be dealing with the ongoing drug crisis and ever-growing overdose deaths. Treatment is an important part but there has to be a whole continuum of care provided and people need the support when they are using,” DeMong said.

While speaking to reporters on Wednesday following the budget's release, mental health and addictions minister Everett Hindley said the government is trying to support as many people as it can throughout the province.

"Addictions is affecting people all across this province and we know it's impacting families in Regina and Saskatoon," Hindley said.

"It's impacting families in some of our regional centers, but also in our rural communities and First Nations in northern and remote communities as well."

Hindley said it's estimated 75 per cent of overdoses frontline workers are responding to are happening in homes.

"We're trying to do as much as we can provide that support as broadly as we can across cities like Saskatoon.

DeMong says the organization will have to continue its own fundraising efforts. PHR plans to release another line of merchandise in June to continue operating the site.

“It shouldn’t be up to local businesses and our community to be paying for the operations of this site.”