Harm reduction, safe injection sites positive steps: Police chief

As a group in Saskatoon begins taking steps to bring a safe injection site to that city, Regina’s police chief says he would be on board with similar harm reduction strategies.

AIDS Saskatoon has applied to open a site — which would include supervised injection for intravenous drug users — near St. Paul’s hospital.

The group is planning to apply to the federal government in April for an exemption to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act that would allow it to operate the site.

Regina’s police Chief Evan Bray said any sort of harm reduction, including safe injection sites, is helpful for people dealing with addictions.

“They’re going in there, they’ve got a safe environment in which they’re consuming drugs, but at the same time we are plugging them into possible supports and services,” he said.

Like Saskatoon, Regina could benefit from harm reduction strategies, Bray said. “We have a drug problem in our community. Meth is a problem in our community. We know that fentanyl and opioids are a problem.”

Bray said safe injection sites help provide quick access to support for people dealing with addictions. He said people can be waiting months to get the help they need to deal with their addictions.

“We need to increase the resource, understand that this is a health issue and find a way to increase good access to resources, because committing to help someone with a problem like an addiction problem – that’s a life-long commitment,” he said. “First let’s reduce the risk to the people and then let’s find a way to help them get healthy.”