The Nēwo-Yōtina Friendship Centre in Regina is now fully cleared by Health Canada to operate as a supervised consumption site.
The decision provides more certainty for the centre’s Wâhkôhtowin Harm Reduction branch, which has been operating as an overdose prevention site since 2021.
The friendship centre, located on 11th Avenue in Regina, announced the decision in a post on social media earlier this week.
Representatives from the Nēwo-Yōtina Friendship Centre were not available for an interview this week.
The centre had been operating under a temporary exemption to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act given in response to an urgent public health need, according to Health Canada’s website.
In a statement, Health Canada confirmed it granted the new exemption on Dec. 27, 2024.
Health Canada conducted a “comprehensive review” of the centre’s application and carefully considered “public health and public safety,” the statement read.
The new decision means the friendship centre is now operating Regina’s first fully federally approved supervised consumption site.
Prairie Harm Reduction in Saskatoon is the only other approved site in the province.
Ministry of Health reacts
Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Health says it does not fund consumption sites, but confirmed that a site does not need the province’s approval to operate — just an exemption to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act granted by Health Canada.
“No illicit drugs are safe, and there is no safe use of illicit drugs,” the Ministry of Health said in its statement.
The ministry said it’s focused on getting people into the treatment and rehabilitation that they need to overcome addiction.
What does a supervised consumption site do?
The Indigenous-led operation allows adults to use drugs on site under the observation of a paramedic to help prevent overdoses or other medical incidents.
It also offers drug testing that alerts users about any contaminants such as fentanyl, and provides support such as access to social services, referrals to substance use treatment and detox programs, housing supports, Elder support and cultural support, as well as daily meals for those experiencing food insecurity.
The Saskatchewan Coroners Service recorded fewer drug-related deaths in the first 11 months of 2024 compared to 2023.
According to data from the coroners service, as of the end of November, 334 people had died of confirmed or suspected drug deaths in the first 11 months of the year, down 24 per cent from 2023.
The coroner’s service’s latest report suggests drug-related deaths are still high, but on the decline in Saskatchewan. There were 334 confirmed and suspected drug deaths in the first 11 months of the year, compared to 437 around the same time last year.
The majority of overdose cases in the province are linked to fentanyl or related opioids.
Regina suffered the most confirmed deaths in the province with 69, while Saskatoon recorded 53.
