Alberta's supervised consumption site identification requirements postponed until 2022
A controversial move that will require clients of Alberta's supervised consumption sites (SCS) to provide personal health information has been delayed until 2022.
The shift means users will not need to provide health numbers to access supervised consumption services until at least January.
The new regulations were set to kick in for providers on Sept. 30.
A provincial spokesperson says other changes announced in June are still on the docket at the end of the month, including client referrals, staff qualifications and physical site requirements.
But the personal health information requirement has been receiving the most pushback since it was announced.
IDENTIFICATION ISSUES
Those who advocated for and those who use SCS services argue identification and health number requirements are a breach of privacy and, in many cases, impossible for clients who are without a permanent address.
Kym Porter of Moms Stop the Harm believes it would lead to fewer clients accessing treatment and, consequently, more street-use.
"This doesn’t go far enough," said Porter in a statement. "Alberta must repeal the restrictions it has placed on delivering and accessing supervised consumption services in the province or more people will die.”
Last month, the regulations were mentioned in a lawsuit that alleges the government's planned changes break the law.
SUMMER LAWSUIT
Moms Stop the Harm and the Lethbridge Overdose Prevention Society allege the new provincial approach to the overdose crisis will have a significantly negative effect on those who access services in Alberta.
The province is set to overhaul the harm reduction approach, which it has repeatedly called "ineffective."
The changes include the closure of the Safeworks facility inside Calgary's Sheldon M. Chumir Health Centre.
That site provides a private, safe space where people can use their pre-obtained substances, primarily opioids, in a monitored setting.
The province found it "disruptive to the neighbourhood" and announced its impending closure in May.
The government has pledged to replace it with similar services in two existing facilities, but information on when or where that will happen is limited.
Some say they're worried the province isn't set on one specific way forward.
"It's concerning if they're winging and there's not a specific plan in place," Porter told CTV News.
"We don't know where those other two sites are going to be. How does this help people that are struggling with levels of trust to have any trust with what's going to happen moving forward?"
SERVICE PROVIDERS UNAWARE?
The collective believes SCS service providers are not yet aware of the identification changes.
"We are weeks away from when the restrictions were set to be put in place, and despite the postponement, the Alberta government hasn’t informed supervised consumption sites,” Porter wrote.
“It’s reckless; supervised consumption sites need to be notified immediately to ensure they don’t implement measures that will drive people away from accessing their services.”
The province claims providers were notified of the implementation date when the new regulations were first announced.
A government spokesperson says the January target was always part of the plan to allow providers time to prepare.
FATAL STRETCH
In the first five months of 2021, 624 Albertans lost their life to a overdose.
That's an increase of 41 per cent over the same time last year — which was already the worst in the province's history.
A total of 1,316 overdose-related fatalities were recorded in 2020.
PROVINCIAL RESPONSE
Mike Ellis, the associate minister of mental health and addiction, was unavailable when asked for an interview.
His office sent a statement saying, in part, "Alberta’s government is implementing quality standards for overdose prevention services to ensure community safety and improve service quality. This includes the collection of personal health numbers as is the case in any healthcare service provided in Alberta.
"In healthcare we know that better data leads to better outcomes. It has always been the case that existing operators will not collect personal health numbers until they are in compliance with the Health Information Act to protect the privacy of clients."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.