Red Deer's temporary overdose prevention site (rdnewsNOW file photo)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

examining the effects

Local stakeholders react to province’s supervised consumption sites report

Mar 5, 2020 | 5:32 PM

A growing risk to safety and increased needle debris are front and centre in the newly-released report on the social impacts of supervised consumption sites in Alberta.

The report, which Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Jason Luan described as a “wake-up call,” was released Thursday following a review done by an eight-member review panel over the course of several months.

“It was a report to look at negative impacts, so we kind of expected it would have a negative tone to it,” says Stacey Carmichael, executive director at Turning Point, the local organization which operates the OPS. “At the end of the day, we are going to continue to work with our provincial, national and international colleagues to develop and further standardize our processes. We do have a high standard of care, and we have medical staff with all sorts of experience.”

RELATED: Province releases report on supervised consumption services in Alberta

The temporary Overdose Prevention Site (OPS) in Red Deer had 5,128 visits in February from 264 unique individuals. There were 96 suspected overdoses and zero deaths.

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The report’s executive summary states that data tracking by SCS operators typically includes the term ‘reversal,’ which, “is used even when the response was a simple administration of oxygen.” It goes on to describe that practice as misleading.

Moms Stop The Harm co-founder Petra Schulz, whose son died from an overdose in 2014, says the claim is an indication that all or most of the panel is comprised of people who don’t work in the field of drug addictions.

“They honestly don’t know what they are talking about. When you have an overdose, the first thing that happens is it affects your breathing; a person’s breathing gets shallow,” says Schulz. “A lot of people come through overdoses, but suffer permanent brain damage because they couldn’t breathe.”

Carmichael agrees that every reversal utilizes oxygen, and sometimes is all that’s needed, thereby making it legitimate grounds for counting a reversal.

“I’m distraught to hear such negativity, such a biased one-sided report that inaccurately reflects the facts and data,” continues Schulz. “It’s just a report that helps the government find information that they were expecting to find. A panel of non-experts coming to conclusions based off of false data.

“My son died a five-minute walk from where one of our Edmonton supervised consumption sites now stands.”

Town hall meetings held throughout the province while the panel conducted its review drew more than 1,800 people. More than 16,000 people and 440 businesses submitted feedback through an online survey.

The report’s section focusing on Red Deer identifies two issues: zoning and crime.

It is stated in the report that municipal government representatives in Red Deer felt the location was imposed by the provincial government after they chose not to zone it for the use of an overdose prevention site. It goes on to say that several residents in the area feel there is a lack of law enforcement near the OPS. It adds that the review committee heard there was significant chatter of vigilantism within Red Deer.

According to one chart titled Opioid-related EMS responses near SCS sites, there was an 11.1 per cent drop (36 to 32) in a 50-500 metre radius of Red Deer’s OPS before and after it opened. Beyond 500 metres, they dropped 46 per cent, with the average for all sites -10.5 per cent.

The report also talks about deaths near an SCS or OPS related to alcohol, as well as increasing reports of feces. Schulz says neither of those things have to do with supervised consumption services.

“Many of the summary statements that were made were consistent with what Red Deer city council has been hearing from our community through our conversations in the community, letters, emails, phone calls, and social media messages with respect to the impacts of the OPS site,” says Red Deer Mayor Tara Veer. “Regarding the report itself, council will be reviewing the report in close detail and will be seeking feedback from administration as well.

“Overwhelmingly, the public has been very frustrated with some of the crime and social disorder impacts.”

Veer added that they look forward to discussing the next steps with government.

The province has granted interim funding through September 2020 to SCS sites in Edmonton, Calgary, Lethbridge and Grande Prairie, as well as Red Deer’s temporary overdose prevention site (OPS).

Red Deer was to have a full-fledged supervised consumption site by now, but that plan was put on hold last year when the UCP government announced its review.