Lethbridge looking for new strategies to address substance abuse

The Lethbridge Police Service headquarters is seen in this undated image. (CTV News)

LETHBRIDGE, ALTA. -

The City of Lethbridge and its police force are looking at new ways to address substance abuse.

The mayor and police chief recently took part in the Municipal Leadership on Substance Use Summit in Timmins, Ont. to see how other cities are tackling the issues.

“It was a great opportunity to go out there. We were two of the very few who were invited to this conference. Especially out west, it was the two of us which was quite an honour to be out there,” said Lethbridge Mayor Blaine Hyggen.

This was the first time a summit like this had been held. About 90 representatives from communities all over Canada took part.

Many of the other municipalities represented have been hit hard by substance abuse.

“The drugs that we have on our streets in Canada and the U.S. today are not like anything we have ever seen before. Canada for sure is a source country for a lot of these drugs,” said Lethbridge police chief Shahin Mehdizadeh.

The Lethbridge representatives had the opportunity to learn from other municipalities at the conference, but Hyggen was also able to share what strategies have worked for his city.

“The first evening after our panel discussions we had the deputy mayor from Charlottetown as well as the mayor from Cambridge who wanted to know more. So we had a great discussion with them and others at the conference,” Hyggen said.

Lethbridge appears to be heading in the right direction. In the first five months of this year, there have been 28 overdose deaths compared to 65 in the same period last year.

While the numbers are improving, officials are still committed to continuing work to further address the issues. 

“We are proud to see that numbers have dropped. I don't know what's contributing to that at this point, it's too early. But in Alberta, we have seen a decrease in the number of overdose deaths. But the sad news is we are still having death every day,” said Mehdizadeh.