Lethbridge-East MLA Nathan Neudorf in the Alberta Legislature. (Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

Province asked for clarity on stance for Lethbridge’s Supervised Consumption Site

Oct 30, 2019 | 2:45 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Lethbridge-East MLA Nathan Neudorf questioned the Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Jason Luan about what the government’s official stance on supervised consumption services, particularly for the site in Lethbridge, is.

This occurred in the provincial legislature on Tuesday, October 29th between the members of the United Conservative Party. You can see the video exchange below:

Luan responded to say that the review of SCS’ in Alberta is still ongoing.

“We heard it loud and clear on the doorsteps of Albertans that communities and businesses have been impacted by these services. This is why we’ve appointed a panel to conduct a robust social, economic review of the Supervised Consumption Site.”

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When asked for comments by LNN, Neudorf would not say definitively whether or not the UCP would look to shut Lethbridge’s SCS down until after the review has been completed.

He said the SCS is a complicated issue that requires more than a simple solution, which is why they want to create a comprehensive plan first so they are not closing one problem only to create another.

“There are numerous factors. There’s the care of the individual at the heart of it. We have to do something to address individuals who find themselves in a state of life they’re not happy with and that has impacts. So how do we address that?”

As well, Neudorf said the province has to take other factors into consideration like law enforcement, prosecution, and treatment for mental health and addictions.

“The end goal is to get people away from addictions and into recovery where they can have a productive life that they choose that they really want. A lot of people end up in addictive circumstances, not by choice and definitely not by will.”

The provincial budget, released last week, promises more funding for Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT), crown prosecutors, and for 4,000 recovery care beds.

Neudorf expects funding allocations for specific communities to be announced in the coming weeks.

As far as the provincial review of supervised consumption services, the MLA says that should be released to the public in either December or January.