REGINA, Sask. — Provincial politicians are reacting to the news of more overdose deaths in the city of Regina.
In a statement the NDP pointed to the report that three people lost their lives in Regina on Saturday to suspected drug overdoses.
In speaking to SaskToday, NDP critic for Mental Health and Addictions Leroy Laliberte voiced his dismay about the overdose situation.
“Well, again, it's disheartening. It's really sad to see that we're losing so many,” Laliberte said, pointing out thud is not only happening in Regina but “throughout the province.”
“It's crazy that this is continuing to happen. You know, we've numerous times asked the government to support a lot of these communities, these programs, to give supports to the frontline workers. We're losing too many, and these aren't just addicts that we're losing… These are family members. These are people's family members. They're moms, they're dads, they're kids.”
Laliberte said that just the previous day, he had been at the 25th-year gathering for the International Overdose Awareness Day in Regina, meeting and listening stories of family members whose loved ones were impacted.
As for what to do about it, Laliberte was critical of the government, saying the government “doesn't have a prevention strategy in place.”
“They don't have an intervention plan, nor do they have an aftercare model. Now, you know, there are services that are being offered out there, but they're not properly funded by this government.”
As for what to do to address the situation, Laliberte called for more resources.
“We've stood numerous times with these frontline workers that are overworked. They don't feel that they're being supported.”
Laliberte also pointed to the need for community-based to “be properly funded.”
He noted that at the gathering he was at the previous day, “there's so many community-based programs that are being offered to the City of Regina and surrounding communities, but yet… it's that you're having trouble with the funding portion of it.”
Laliberte also was critical of the government for not responding to their requests for information on the situation.
“Both in last year's fall sitting and spring sitting, we had asked the government to give us the, you know, statistics on people that were waiting for this treatment. And they said that they haven't had it. We'd asked a second time, we'd asked a third time. And it was… just so we'd have numbers to see what it is that was being offered and ways that we'd be able to accommodate these individuals that were seeking help.”
He was also critical of the government pushing forward their compassionate care model to compel people into treatment, saying a lot of people who offer those services “didn't have a say with what would happen in there because again, without a prevention plan or without any type of aftercare model, how is this going to work?… These are a lot of conversations that (they) should have had with individuals that are working in this field.”
In response to the NDP, Mental Health and Addictions Minister Lori Carr provided the following statement:
“In times like this we continue to see that there is no safe use of illicit drugs.
“Every life lost due to an overdose is a tragedy. That’s why our government continues to focus on expanding access to addictions treatment and supports across the province.
“With record investments into the sector, we are working to ensure that any individual that reaches out for help will have an opportunity to be supported and live a safe, healthy life in recovery.”
