PEERS Alliance vows to pursue harm reduction plans as drug overdose cases rise on P.E.I.
CBC
A Prince Edward Island non-profit organization is pivoting on plans to bring harm reduction resources to rural parts of the Island after pushback from some of the locations where it was looking to set up.
PEERS Alliance (the acronym stands for "prevent, educate, empower, respect, support") had planned to make weekly stops at some community rinks and recreation centres across the Island, starting this spring.
The goal was to provide information to people using drugs — and the people concerned about them — as well as supply items such as naloxone to reverse overdoses and clean needles for safer drug use.
But that plan changed after some of the venues' operators posted on social media suggesting the locations were unsuitable.
"No one was contacted for dialogue and distributing injection/smoking equipment is undesired on this rink property at any time," the Morell Credit Union Rink said on its Facebook page, noting that seniors gather there and daycare activities regularly occur nearby.
The Belfast Rec Centre posted that it had learned the group planned to use its parking lot through social media.
"We were not approached and asked permission for this, and we are actively seeking to contact the organization to address this issue," the rink's post said.
Angele DesRoches, the program director for PEERS Alliance, said she was aware of the concerns and recognizes there is a lot of fear and misinformation around harm reduction.
"PEERS Alliance still has a ways to go in terms of building trust and relationships with actors in rural communities, for sure," she said in an interview with CBC News on Monday.
"In this instance, the desire to re-engage with rural outreach participants was prioritized over fulsome community engagement. And we do apologize for that."
The group still plans to travel the province, but people wanting to use the service will now need to contact PEERS by phone to set up a meeting place and time.
DesRoches said it's important to offer anonymity to people who are taking illegal drugs, and private appointments will address that concern.
The group's latest harm reduction efforts come as Prince Edward Island faces an increase in drug overdoses.
According to provincial records, there were a total of 55 overdoses in 2023, seven of them fatal.
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