Residents protest the unsanctioned drug site. (Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko / Connor Gunn

Lethbridge residents protest against unsanctioned drug injection site

Sep 28, 2020 | 3:10 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – “I seriously think that we are on a very destructive path. This has got no great place to go other than more bad. I mean, how many more kids do we have to have needle pricks and have to sustain hepatitis and HIV testing?”

Those were the words of Mike Hoffman, one of around two dozen people who showed their opposition outside of Lethbridge City Hall Monday afternoon to a pop-up drug injection site.

Twice over this past weekend, a tent popped up at local parks that allowed people who were suffering from overdoses to receive naloxone or other supports.

READ MORE: Galt Gardens pop-up injection site moves location on 2nd night

It is being run by a group of concerned citizens known at the Lethbridge Overdose Prevention Society (LOPS), lead by former-ARCHES employee Tim Slaney.

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“Last time I checked, folks, we live in a democracy,” says Hoffman. “The people have spoken. The majority of citizens in this community do not want that activity going on here, and therefore, it should not be continuing.”

In his 40+ years as a resident of Lethbridge, Hoffman states that he never felt uncomfortable about taking his children to a park or other public place. It was only in the last few years that this changed.

The LOPS does not have approval from Alberta Health or Health Canada to run the site and does not have an approved permit from the City of Lethbridge.

A section of the city’s parks bylaw, Bylaw 5651, states that “No person shall: unless allowed by permit: (p) Camp in a Park (q) Erect a tent or other structure in a park.”

Hoffman claims that he was told by LPS officers at one of the parks that “powers higher than the officers on the street” instructed them to not enforce the bylaw.

A communications official with the City of Lethbridge told LNN that it is up to the city’s bylaw officers to enforce bylaws, not police officers. We are waiting for a call back from LPS for further comments.

Mayor Chris Spearman says he was informed by Slaney about the injection site after its first night Friday and that he planned to operate it at least once more.

“He sent me a legal document which I then shared with the city solicitor and council. I encouraged him not to do that, they don’t have a permit so that’s a concern. I can only try to uphold the bylaws of the City of Lethbridge.”

From what Spearman has heard from LPS, officers have been monitoring the sites as they pop up, “but have not witnessed any illegal consumption.”

The mayor is concerned that, following the closure of the Supervised Consumption Site at the end of August, more people have been using illicit substances in public areas such as parks.

A report from the Government of Alberta last week showed that deaths in Lethbridge related to fentanyl use have been rising in 2020.

READ MORE: Fentanyl deaths up in Lethbridge this year, SCS visitation down significantly

For anyone who does plan to use drugs, Spearman is encouraging them to use the Overdose Prevention Site near the Lethbridge Shelter and Resource Centre. It is operated by Alberta Health Services and is fully regulated.