Local advocate groups appeal new ID policy at supervised consumption sites in Alberta
Starting Jan. 31, Albertans will be required to show their health care number to access supervised consumption sites.
Earlier this month, a judge dismissed an injunction to delay implementing the new rules, saying it restricts Alberta’s ability to implement its addictions policy.
Moms Stop the Harm and the Lethbridge Overdose Prevention Society (LOPS) brought forward an urgent appeal that went before the courts on Thursday.
“We are concerned with those people that are vulnerable and don't have voices. The bottom line is how we can help save lives,” said Kym Porter with Moms Stop the Harm.
Harm reduction groups and advocates such as Moms Stop the Harm and LOPS are asking the provincial government to reverse their decision on the policy change, saying it's only going to create more overdoses deaths in the province.
“My number one concern is that people won't use that support and there will be more deaths. There's nothing beyond that,” said Porter.
Approximately 140 people have died from substance-related overdoses between January and October 2021 - a 26 per cent increase from the same time period the year prior.
PROVINCE RESPONDS
In a statement from Alberta’s Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addiction, Mike Ellis, reads in part:
“As this matter is once again before the courts, I will not be commenting on any specifics however we are confident in our position. These quality standards were introduced to ensure that clients are better connected to the health-care system, to improve the quality of services that are being offered to people with addiction and to ensure community safety in the areas surrounding supervised consumption sites.”
Porter says those using the sites are already dealing with stigma and having to show their healthcare card will only deter those individuals away.
“A number of people that are using supervised consumption sites have struggled with the healthcare system and have been stigmatized within that system, so that's a concern of theirs that this will add further issues,” Porter added.
A decision on the matter is expected to be released in the coming days. Porter says, all they can do now is wait.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.