Survivor wants answers on Safeworks sites
Letter seeks details on UCP'S transition plan, threatening court action if ignored
A Calgary man is alive today because of staff at the soon-to-be closed Beltline supervised druguse site.
Darren Norman said he was “lost” in addiction for more than 15 years and suffered countless overdoses, dozens of which were reversed in Calgary's first and only supervised consumption site after it opened in 2017.
“You're in a tough situation because you're actually addicted to something and if you don't have it, you get sick, but you don't want to die, either. I didn't want to put my mom through dying,” he said. “It kept me alive until I got to a treatment centre and was able to get the help I needed.”
Norman, who is now more than two years sober, said he's proof “it can end well” for people who use substances. But until people are ready to pursue recovery, harm reduction supports are needed to simply keep people alive.
That's why Norman is formally demanding details from the province on its plan to close the existing Safeworks site at the Sheldon M. Chumir Health Centre and transition services to two undisclosed locations.
Edmonton-based lawyer Avnish Nanda, who is representing Norman, sent a demand letter to Alberta Health Minister Tyler Shandro and other cabinet members on Wednesday, asking for details, consultation and binding commitments related to supervised consumption services in the city.
“This is putting the government on notice about the concerns that people — existing and past users of Safeworks — have with what has been announced, including a lack of details (and) the nonexistent consultation before proceeding with this decision,” said Nanda.
“And also wanting to see some public, binding commitments to ensure there is no disruption in services or scope of services with this transition because, for many, this is vital, life-saving, life-maintaining medical care.”
The United Conservative Party has been given until July 19 to respond to the letter.
If they choose not to, Nanda said legal action could be taken.
Among a list of items for clarification, Norman is asking the province to confirm when the Safeworks site will be closed, where the two new sites will be located and what services will be provided.
The government has remained silent on these details since its plans to overhaul supervised consumption services across the province were made public last month. In a statement to Postmedia, the government reiterated the new sites will be “situated much closer to those who need such services” but declined to offer specifics.
“Alberta's government will add supervised consumption capabilities at two existing partner organization sites that already serve individuals suffering from addiction,” said Justin Marshall, press secretary to Jason Luan, associate minister of mental health and addictions.
A collection of social agencies recently signed a letter calling on the province to relocate supervised consumption services near or in homeless shelters. Marshall said they “agree with those sentiments.”
He added there will be no decrease in services at the new facilities, in which detox, treatment and “connection to other health care services within a recovery oriented system of care” will be expanded. He said the Safeworks site will not close until the new sites are operational.
However, Norman is seeking a binding commitment from the government stating the same standard of care and service capacity will be available at the new sites, including access to social workers and addictions counsellors, primary care and effective referral pathways for detox and treatment programs.
Safeworks has six consumption booths and is open 24 hours a day with wraparound care and referrals.
When asked about consultation, Marshall said they listened to Calgarians who expressed concerns about the location of Safeworks, which was cited as the reason for its closure.
However, the UCP made no mention of patients, which is why Norman is also requesting the closure of the Beltline site be delayed until an independent and comprehensive consultation is completed with clients of the service.
“The failure to consult or communicate with the users of Safeworks is a major oversight and should be remedied before Alberta proceeds with its plan,” the letter says.
“Only through a robust consultation can Alberta ensure that no harm will be inflicted upon the people who access Safeworks.”
On average, four Albertans are dying per day from accidental drug overdoses. In Calgary alone, 109 people died from opioid-related poisonings in the first three months of this year. In the same time period, 11,288 visits were recorded at Safeworks, where there has been no deaths.
Nanda, who previously represented patients who launched a lawsuit against the UCP for cutting funding for an opioid treatment program, said the harm-reduction community has reached a point where they will no longer tolerate provincial decisions that could harm and kill Albertans.
“This government has routinely gaslit and lied to the public about its harm-reduction policy,” he said.
“For every change this government undertakes that adversely affects drug users and harm-reduction policy in this province, I think they will be met at each and every turn with people who are willing to push back whether through the courts or other ways.”