Advocates of Lethbridge's former supervised consumption site launch legal challenge
Two organizations aimed at supporting Albertans with addictions say the Kenney government's plan to handle the opioid crisis is wrong and they have gone to court to prove it.
Moms Stop the Harm, which represents families affected by substance abuse, and the Lethbridge Overdose Prevention Society attended a number of hearings in Lethbridge provincial court this week. In them, they laid out their argument that the closure of supervised consumption sites throughout the province will result in more deaths and overdoses in Alberta.
They also claimed the government's requirement for clients of those sites to show photo ID and their Alberta health care card was unfair.
The proceedings took place on Wednesday and Thursday and, at the end, the presiding judge reserved a decision in the case.
One of the advocacy groups understood that to be good news.
"This judge seemed open-minded and willing to learn," said Kym Porter, a member of Moms Stop the Harm. "He asked excellent questions and just the fact that he asked for an extension, he realizes how complex an issue addiction is as well as people that struggle with substance issues."
According to the most recent data, 624 Albertans died from overdoses during the first five months of 2021.
A decision is expected at the end of January.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
Humanist group threatening to sue Vancouver over council prayers
The B.C. Humanist Association has threatened legal action against the City of Vancouver for allowing prayers at council, following a similar warning issued earlier this month to a smaller community on Vancouver Island.
LHSC performs a Canadian first in robot-assisted direct lateral spine surgery
Spine surgery may never be the same for people with chronic back pain and other physical ailments.