Health Canada Approves 2nd Drug Consumption Site in Saskatchewan

A woman prepares to inject herself with an unknown substance as a man sits in a wheelchair outside Insite, the supervised drug consumption site in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside on Feb. 21, 2017. The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck

Health Canada has approved a second drug consumption site for Saskatchewan, the first in Regina.

Nēwo-Yōtina Friendship Centre, an Indigenous organization, says it has been approved to extend its operations after operating under an “urgent needs exemption” since 2021, according to a social media post by the centre.

“We’ve received our exemption to operate as a supervised consumption site under the guidelines set out by Health Canada; making Wâhkôhtowin Harm Reduction the City of Regina’s first and only supervised consumption site,” said a Dec. 3o, 2024, Facebook post by the organization.

The site will offer a range of services including drug checking, health and social services, referrals to substance use and detox treatment, housing and cultural support, Elder support, and meals, according to the post.

Health Canada confirmed to The Epoch Times in an email the decision had been made on Dec. 27, 2024.

“This Health Canada decision followed a comprehensive review of the Wâhkôhtowin Harm Reduction Centre’s application, carefully considering the dual objectives of public health and public safety,” the email said.

The Nēwo-Yōtina Friendship Centre operates Canada’s only indigenous-led Harm Reduction and Safe Consumption Site, the organization’s website says.

The Epoch Times attempted to contact the provincial health ministry but did not hear back by publication time.

Saskatoon is home to the province’s first drug consumption site, Prairie Harm Reduction, which opened in 2019. The site has provided more than 2,000 services, according to Health Canada. It has about 4,600 clients.

In the first 11 months of 2024, Saskatoon saw 53 drug-related deaths while Regina saw 69, according to the provincial coroner’s report. In 2023, Saskatoon recorded 96 confirmed drug toxicity deaths. Regina had nearly double that at 180 drug deaths.

Total drug-related deaths in the province were 181 in 2024, a 57 percent decrease from 2023 when 421 drug-related deaths were recorded.

An additional 153 deaths in 2024 were deemed suspicious but had not been confirmed as drug-related in the report.

The approval comes as other provinces are reducing drug consumption sites and other harm reduction policies.

On Jan. 2, Ontario said it will convert nine of its current drug consumption sites into addiction treatment hubs. Another 10 hubs are expected to be announced by the end of April.

B.C. and the federal government have ended their pilot program of hard drug decriminalization in that province.

Health Canada had granted B.C. a three-year exemption under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. It came into effect on Jan. 31, 2023.

However, in April 2024, Premier David Eby asked Health Canada to “urgently change” the decriminalization policy to curb drug use in public spaces.

Eby said the change would make illicit drug use illegal in all public places, such as hospitals and parks.

The request was approved in May, effective immediately.

Doug Lett and Matthew Horwood contributed to this report.