Sask. task force consults affected people on what is driving the drug crisis and how to solve it

Saskatchewan people directly affected by the overdose crisis have shared what they think has fuelled the overdose crisis — and what could be done to help the situation — with the provincial government.

Now a provincial team is set to create a plan based on its findings.

Researchers, community leaders and people who work with others living with addiction were all consulted for the province's drug task force — a multi-sector group tasked with the growing addictions issue. 

Praxis Consulting Ltd. pulled together the community engagement results, using interviews with the leaders and focus groups of community-based organizations and people with lived experiences. The government released the in-depth findings on Thursday.

The provincial task force was first announced in 2017. Since then, hundreds of lives have been lost as Saskatchewan has seen record numbers of people dying from drugs. Participants in these consultations also said the pandemic worsened the already escalating crisis.  

People with lived experiences identified needed changes.

They highlighted a need for reduced wait lists for addictions and mental health services, increased capacity and hours at detox, treatment and aftercare centres, the decriminalization of drugs, access to a safe drug supply and support for harm reduction services — including supervised consumption sites. 

"When you go through and sift through it, it's pretty loud and clear that these sites should be funded," said Jason Mercredi, who spearheaded the opening of the province's first supervised consumption site in Saskatoon. 

The site has consistently been denied government funding.

It wasn't only people with lived experiences identifying a need to support supervised consumption sites. People from from community based organizations, Saskatchewan's Association of Social Workers and Saskatchewan Population Health and Evaluation Research Unit said the same thing. 

Mercredi is crossing his fingers for provincial budget day on Mar. 23.

"We're hopeful that the province is going to listen to the community and people who use drugs and say that they're going to find the safe consumption sites," he said. "You want to believe that people are actually here for the community and not just for their own political gain."

Mercredi wants the government to allocate new money for new addictions and mental health initiatives. 

"We need some direct programming funded — long-term, sustainable, direct programming — across the whole province, not just for the big cities, but for the rural and northern communities."