Some of the materials provided to users at Lethbridge's SCS

By Lara Fominoff

Provincial review of Supervised Consumption Sites announced

Aug 19, 2019 | 11:29 AM

CALGARY, AB – The provincial government has announced a province-wide review of supervised consumption services, including those in Lethbridge – but it won’t include issues like social housing, homelessness, site funding or establishing other SCS sites outside of the current or proposed sites.

Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, Jason Luan, says the review will include feedback online, with stakeholder groups, and in town hall type meetings in Calgary, Edmonton, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Red Deer and Grande Prairie.

The committee is expected to analyze the evidence on the impact of existing and proposed sites and submit a report to government for consideration in future policy decisions for the SCS sites and the addiction care system.

The scope of the review will include:

· Crime rates

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· Needle debris

· Residential property values

· Emergency medical services calls

· Business impacts (bottom lines, trends, closures)

· Data collection

· Referrals to treatment providers

· Overdose referrals

· Proposals for solutions to address impacts of the sites

What WON’T be in the scope of the review includes:

· The merits of supervised consumption sites as a harm reduction tool

· The utility of these services in each community

· Establishing supervised consumption services outside of the current or proposed sites

· Provincial funding for supervised consumption services

· Other social issues such as housing and homelessness

The committee members include eight members who are psychiatrists, addictions and recovery experts, crime reduction specialists, real estate and business leaders and behavioural scientists.

Luan says the province is trying to balance the system and to address the social and economic impact to communities and businesses.

“The existing government already has a wealth of information supporting the merits of supervised consumption sites in terms of their contribution to harm reduction and overall, what we call, system care.

“What we’re doing now is – the community side of the impact seems to be left out in the previous government We’ve heard that loud and clear.”

The public meetings are expected to begin sometime in September. It’s not clear how long the review process will take place, when a final report is expected, or whether any of the committee’s recommendations will be implemented. The province says that information will be forthcoming.

“This is a complex issue (that) requires so much work and so much learning, me included” said the minister. “But the position is our government acknowledges the evidence that supervised consumption sites reduce harm for those who use substances.”

There’s no word whether support services such as intox, detox or additional rehabilitative services will be included in or will be part of the scope of the review.

The NDP is expected to comment on the review announcement early this afternoon. Lethbridge News Now will include that information when it becomes available.