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By Canadian Press

Requirement Begins Jan. 31.

Court rejects injunction to delay new rules for supervised drug-use sites

Jan 11, 2022 | 12:44 PM

An Alberta judge has dismissed an injunction that would have delayed the implementation of new rules for supervised drug-use sites.

Starting Jan. 31, clients will be asked to show health-care numbers, a move harm reduction groups argue could increase barriers to the service.

In his decision, Justice Paul Belzil says the injunction would have restricted Alberta’s ability to formulate addictions policy.

Non-profit societies Moms Stop The Harm and the Lethbridge Overdose Prevention Society filed a lawsuit against the Alberta government in August, saying its new rules will have life-and-death consequences.

Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Mike Ellis issued the following statement on the recent decision by the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta:

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“Recently, activist organizations sued the government to prevent Alberta from becoming the first jurisdiction in Canada to regulate supervised consumption services.

“On Jan. 10, Alberta’s government received notification that the injunction application filed against the regulation has been dismissed by the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta.

“I am pleased that this court decision has come forward and that this much-needed regulation can move forward. These quality standards were introduced with the intention to improve community safety in the areas surrounding supervised consumption sites, improve the quality of services that are being offered to people with addiction, and ensure that clients are better connected to the health-care system.

“We will not allow our communities to become chaotic and disorderly. We must ensure that while we treat addiction as a health-care issue we are also keeping communities safe and respecting law and order.

“That is exactly what these quality standards will do and why they are essential to safe and orderly provision of high-quality supervised consumption services as part of a recovery-oriented system of care.

“These services must be provided in a manner that is fair to the community, assertive in dealing with the illness of addiction and compassionate to the person who is struggling. Most importantly, recovery must always be recognized as an achievable goal and clients should be assertively encouraged to pursue it.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 11, 2022.

(With files from rdnewsNOW)