A seven-member panel listened to residents' concerns and experiences with the SCS

By Lara Fominoff

Emotional presentations at first Lethbridge Supervised Consumption Site Review meeting

Sep 5, 2019 | 12:35 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Hundreds of people came to the Coast Hotel in Lethbridge, to listen, find out more information, or to have their say on the city’s Supervised Consumption Site.

About 200 people turned out for the meeting

The meeting began at 5 p.m. but just prior to that, a small protest, made up of a few dozen or so residents opposed to the SCS, held up signs along Mayor Magrath Drive.

A panel, appointed by the provincial government, made up of seven members ranging from doctors, harm reduction specialists, a behavioral scientist, an economist, a mother directly affected by the opioid crisis, Edmonton’s former police chief, and a former RCMP officer are getting feedback as part of a province-wide review. Their mandate, as they travel across the province over the next several weeks, is to evaluate the social and economic impacts of the current and proposed supervised consumption sites.

Committee Chair and Former Edmonton Police Chief Rod Knecht says they’ll listen to solutions and suggestions and present a report to the province later this fall.

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“People have lived through this for a while now (in Lethbridge). The community has lived through it, the businesses have lived through it, the addicts have lived through it, and the folks that work at those sites have lived through it. So, they may come back with some real valuable suggestions. That’s my hope, anyway.

“This is specific to the social impact and the economic impacts of supervised consumption sites, and I think this is a good place for that sort of issue to be discussed because it’s happening right here, right now.”

Speakers were asked to answer two questions, and each was given three minutes to do so.

1) “How do you feel supervised consumption services have impacted this community, positively or negatively?”

2) “What future solutions or ideas should this committee consider, that might help address some of the adverse, or unintended social or economic issues?”

A varied cross section of community members chose to address the panel, including mothers, harm reduction specialists and supporters, former addicts, those who oppose the SCS and its location, business and property owners.

Researcher Melanie Watson spoke to the panel first, about concerns regarding possible “conscious and unconscious bias” in the online surveys on the subjects of socio-economics. Watson also told the panel that as a 17-year resident of Lethbridge, they (sic) have only seen positive impacts associated with the SCS.

“I know that there are negative impacts and stuff, but the positive impact has really been showing and the amount of feelings that the people I’ve come across and stuff, they’re starting to feel worth, they’re starting to feel as though they belong, and that’s due to the SCS.”

Another speaker named Bev who told the panel she was a teacher, counselor and psychologist discussed the impacts drugs like opioids have had not only across the province, but across the country. She also said the SCS had a positive effect on the community.

Another speaker described how he’s seen a vast reduction in the amount of needle debris in the downtown area, along with the number of people overdosing in the streets.

“I can tell you that since the SCS has opened, walking back and forth across Galt Gardens has become a significantly less threatening experience…I think we need to be fighting for more pillars of support. We need affordable housing as well as intox and detox and treatment centres brought to Lethbridge. Because that way people who are accessing the SCS can actually have treatment options available to them.”

And others echoed the call for more services, explaining to the panel that addicts who choose to try and get help can’t wait weeks for a referral, or to be taken to a treatment centre in Claresholm or Fort Macleod.

“So, go back to your government. Lobby for enforcement. Lobby for SCS and help us put in the rest of the infrastructure so we can have a Lethbridge made solution to this Canada-wide problem.”

A speaker asks the panel to go to the government and lobby for better services in Lethbridge

However, other speakers explained that while there had been issues with some drug addiction and alcoholism in the past, the situation in their experience had become significantly worse since the opening of the SCS – especially when it came to issues like constant property theft, needle debris and addicts who they believed posed a danger to themselves and others when intoxicated.

“I got two artificial shoulders and an artificial leg. I can’t chase after these people,” explained one man. “How are we supposed to defend our property? I go out every morning to my garage just to make sure I still have a back door on my garage. I go check the front to make sure that my windows aren’t broken out of my car. We’ve gotta find a solution for this. It’s a problem we never had until this site came in here.”

Two mothers, including one who said she was the the wife of a local police officer, also told stories of their 6-year-old children pricked by needles they either found in or around playgrounds and schools. They described how their children are now undergoing months of blood tests to rule out HIV or Hepatitis infections.

“I ask the committee when you’re looking at other locations for SCS, this one here is 1.6 km from five schools; two of those schools being elementary schools…I ask you to think about the parents, think about the children.”

Still, another mother whose son is addicted to drugs said “Those proposing to stop funding to the SCS are playing God and they have no right to do so. We have the means and the know how to keep people alive. Who has the right to say ‘no, you should die?’ which is exactly what will happen. People will die.”

She added that had sufficient services been in place at the time the SCS initially opened, in her opinion the city wouldn’t be in its current state of turmoil.

A 10-year-old also spoke to the panel, explaining how she feels fearful of even walking in her neighborhood.

“I can’t walk my dog by myself. I can’t even be on my property outside without having the fear of being pricked by a needle or something happening to me…for me, this is scary. And I am a child.”

There will be another chance for those who wish to address the panel to speak on Thursday, from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Coast Hotel.

The information will be consolidated by the panel and presented to the province by the end of the year.

If you would like to send a written submission instead, that can be emailed to SCSReview@gov.ab.ca, or you can fill out the on-line survey on the Alberta government website. Submissions will be accepted until Sept. 30.