Red Deer council to consider 6 supervised drug injection sites

Red Deer city council has approved first reading of a proposed land-use bylaw with six potential sites considered for supervised drug injection services.

"We've kind of been hit by this epidemic of opiates and what's the best way of dealing with it," Coun. Buck Buchanan said Tuesday after a special council meeting Monday night.

Edmonton, Calgary and Lethbridge have already identified safe consumption sites.

• Supervised consumption sites in Edmonton, Lethbridge get federal approval

The six sites being considered in Red Deer are the hospital, three public health clinics and two social agencies: Turning Point, a harm-reduction agency, and Safe Harbour, a crisis support agency for individuals and families.

"You run into a lot of NIMBYism especially when it comes to social issues," said Buchanan. "You can put it anywhere you want, just don't put it in my neighbourhood."

A number of the city's social agencies, as well as soup kitchens, are located in the downtown, he said.

"We're kind of in that struggle back and forth, is the downtown the path of least resistance."

Need is there

Red Deer had a high number of opioid deaths in 2016 and the trend is continuing, saidStacey Carmichael, executive director for Turning Point.

"Opioids are killing people," said Carmichael. "But there are other drugs that are impacting people's lives that this service could help mitigate."

It is likely that only one sitewill be needed, she said.

The Red Deer coalition on the opioidcrisis was established in January, with Turning Point as the chair,said Carmichael.

It heard from more than 260 drug users, spoke with service providers, and researched supervised injection services in other communities, she said.

"It was determined that we would benefit from a supervised consumption service in Red Deer and that the preferred location, probably the best location, was with Turning Point," said Carmichael.

The city is being "presumptuous" by providing six options for consideration, she said.

"I know Safe Harbour Society, for example, is not at all interested in operating a supervised consumption service."

Seeking public input

A public hearing is scheduled for Dec. 19 to give residents a chance to voice concerns about the proposed locations, Buchanan said.

"We want to hear from folks," he said. "We're only as good as the people that we hear from."

The supervised drug injection sites are an "emotional issue" on both sides of the equation, he said.

"You've kind of got that push-pull as to what is the right thing to do."

Concerns have been raised in the past over discarded used needles, he said.

Turning Point, which offers a needle exchange program, hands out 500,000 to 600,000 needles each year but only 350,000 to 400,000 used needles are returned to the organization, he said.

Some of those other needles end up in playgrounds and school grounds, said Buchanan.

"It's all of these things that are smashing headlong together as to what is the right thing to do by all of your citizens," he said.