AIDS Saskatoon proposes injection site in Pleasant Hill

An organization on the front lines of the fight against AIDS wants to open a safe drug consumption site in Saskatoon.

AIDS Saskatoon has applied to open a site — which would include supervised injection for intravenous drug users — at 1516 20th St W., located near St. Paul’s hospital by the corner of 20th Street West and Avenue P South.

In a press release issued Monday morning, the group indicated it planned to apply to the federal government in April for an exemption to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act that would allow it to operate the site.

Executive Director Jason Mercredi told 650 CKOM the organization has done two years of work consulting with drug users and support groups on a potential location.

“When we overlaid that with data from the Saskatchewan Health Authority, this location was pretty much prime for both,” he said.

“(This is) where we’re having issues around injection drug use, HIV injections and overdoses.”

He said the area also has an added bonus of surrounding health support services, including St. Paul’s Hospital, a walk-in medical clinic and the Saskatoon Tribal Council health centre.

Now, a round of public consultations is set to begin with people who live in the surrounding neighbourhood of Pleasant Hill. That will begin with a door-knocking campaign set to run from Tuesday to March 18.

From there, a series of eight open houses will be held to gather further input.

A number of organizations including the Saskatoon Police Service, the Saskatoon Fire Department, the Saskatoon Tribal Council, the Pleasant Hill Community Association and the Riversdale Business Improvement District have all been invited to contribute members to a public safety advisory board that would provide advice and handle any issues related to community safety around the site.

“We want all the stakeholders at the table so that if any issues do arise, we can deal with them right away,” Mercredi said.

Speaking on Gormley Monday morning, Saskatoon Police Chief Troy Cooper said a supervised injection site could be “very effective” if placed in the right area of the city.

“This is a community discussion, this is a health response. It’s a harm reduction technique,” he said.

“Where it is, is really critical in a community.”

He noted the police role in discussion surrounding the site would be to note how it could impact the area’s crime stats and allow the community to make a decision.

AIDS Saskatoon’s application would be the first to go ahead for a safe consumption site in Saskatchewan. The group reported that there are currently 28 locations offering various levels of safe drug consumption services in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec.

Mercredi said their application to the federal government can take at least four months to process. Either way, AIDS Saskatoon is planning to move their operations to the 20th Street location in September.

— With files from 650 CKOM’s Chris Vandenbreekel.