‘This community needs it:’ Safe consumption site overlooked in numerous provincial funding announcements

Jason Mercredi knows how big the Saskatchewan Roughriders are, and how much they mean to the province.

But, as the executive director of AIDS Saskatoon sits and reviews security camera footage from outside the unfunded consumption site, he sees how pivotal the facility would be if the doors were open.

“A stimulated economy is great. But we do need a better balance there. The consumption site, we know is needed,” he told 650 CKOM Tuesday.

“We’re seeing some decent levels of investment in the province on infrastructure, trying to stimulate the economy. It seems like the consumption site isn’t a part (of) those.”

On Monday, the province announced its commitment to becoming a CFL hub city, earmarking $3 million in provincial funds to the CFL— that’s if Regina is chosen.

Additionally, at the beginning of July, $4 billion was committed to by the province to fund a large-scale irrigation project.

Mercredi says the numbers he’s looking for pale in comparison to those, as $1.3 million is needed to open the doors of Saskatoon’s safe consumption site. Mercredi says if that funding is committed to, the doors to the safe consumption site could open within a month.

“People are using drugs constantly. A lot of these folks with the current set up, they don’t have a place to go. We want to give them a place to go,” he explained.

“We’re starting to see overdoses on property. It’s very much underreported a lot of the time… people don’t realize how much money is currently being spent, with the system set up the way it is.”

Jason Mercredi, executive director of AIDS Saskatoon shows off Saskatoon’s newly finished safe consumption site that should be up and running by late May. (Harrison Brooks/650 CKOM)

Mercredi says the province gave them a no for its $1.3 million request last year but was told that the province “said it’s not a no forever.”

“When you’re looking holistically and within continuous care. A consumption site is the starting point for engaging the hardest to engage,” he said. “It’s definitely frustrating when we have a solution. We’re committed to opening up the consumption site in 2020. This community needs it.”

Mercredi noted the continuous record-breaking numbers of overdoses within Saskatoon, week-after-week. Medavie Health Services West has been releasing those numbers to show the community exactly what it’s dealing with.

According to Troy Davies, director of public affairs for Medavie Health Services West, 96 overdoses were responded to in the city from July 14 to 21. That adds to 94 the week prior and 88 in the first week of the month. All three weeks set “record-breaking” numbers for the city, according to Davies.

So far in July according to its numbers, 278 overdose calls have occurred in the month of July, so far.

At the safe consumption site, Mercredi says they’ve also seen record-breaking numbers.

“We’re handing out record amounts of naloxone kits. We tripled our naloxone kits from May to June. In May, we handed out more naloxone kits than we did in all of 2019,” he claimed.

Mercredi also acknowledged the work that the Saskatoon Police Service is doing in the fight against addictions, calling it a “desperate crisis.” The two are partners, but Mercredi says the fight is not all up to police services at this time.

He explained how the Saskatchewan Health Authority is the only health jurisdiction in Canada that doesn’t release public overdose data.

“We’re the only place that the health authority (hasn’t) taken the lead on that. Our view is either they need to take the lead, or they need to fund us to take the lead on it. The way it’s currently set up, it’s not appropriate,” Mercredi said.

“We just want to give our folks a fighting chance to get to those treatment centres.”

Saskatoon’s safe consumption site would be a facility in which people struggling with addictions, housing, social and cultural support can be connected to the right channels to get them help, according to Mercredi. It would also be open 24-7, 365 days a year to fill the needs of its clients.