The Alberta government has delivered on its promise to halt funding for new supervised drug consumption sites.
This includes the proposed site for Red Deer, Medicine Hat and a mobile facility in Calgary.
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Red Deer city council gives final approval for supervised drug consumption site
Jason Luan, associate minister for mental health and addiction, said the decision does not affect existing sites.
“They will continue operating as they do today, including the temporary overdose prevention site in operation in Red Deer,” he said.
A review of the proposed sites will be initiated in coming weeks, as the United Conservative’s campaign platform commited the party to, Luan added.
“This is a high priority for our government and we will share further details, including a timeline, in the coming weeks.”
Turning Point’s executive director Stacey Carmichael said the organization is waiting on clarity on process and timelines.
“We understand the platform committment was made by the new government and they want to understand the service,” Carmichael said, adding that she hopes the review will be done in a timely manner.
With the research and consultations that have taken place to show the service makes a positive impact in communities and saves life, Carmichael remains positive.
“I’m optimistic those things will be taken into consideration and we will proceed,” Carmichael said.
The review will include a detailed socioeconomic analysis of the impact of proposed supervised drug consumption sites in the communities where they are located.
Red Deer council gave final approval for a permanent supervised drug consumption site at 5233 54th Ave. in January.
Red Deer’s temporary overdose prevention site opened in October 2018.
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