Edmonton considering drug-checking program to reduce poisoning deaths
A harm-reduction strategy that sees illegal street drugs tested for deadly substances before being used is under consideration in Edmonton.
Government-approved drug checking is already happening in Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto and other Canadian cities.
A report on how an Edmonton program could work went before the city's community and public services committee on Monday.
So far in 2022, 295 people have died from drug poisonings in the Alberta capital. That's 50 more deaths than in the same period last year.
“Most of the drug-poisoning deaths that we’re aware of has been that there has been a deadly substance laced with another substance,” explained Zanette Frost with the City of Edmonton.
“We’re currently exploring our options. It may be something that community agencies may be able to implement.”
Eight programs are operated in Canadian cities, according to the report, the majority led by community groups. Mobile, fixed-site, event-site and mail-in services are among the options being considered in Edmonton.
A previous city report suggested that the Edmonton Police Service participate in the program, but at least one city councillor thinks that's a bad idea.
“I think there’s a trust factor, a fear factor,” said committee member Jo-Anne Wright from Ward Sspomitapi. “I think it’s got to be more of a grassroots organization.”
“Nobody who uses drugs will take their drugs to someone in uniform to have them checked,” agreed Petra Schulz from Moms Stop The Harm. “We have to get the police to stand down when it comes to matters of health.”
City officials said no decision has been made on the involvement of EPS, and the service said it has no plans to operate a drug-screening service.
Councillor Keren Tang wants the city to do more research on a drug-checking program, but noted: “It is not the be all, end all, that would reverse a lot of the overdoses.”
City administrators now will consult current and former drug users, as well as experts, on how to proceed with the next report due early next year.
Any drug checking program in the city would need to be approved by Health Canada. The report did not say what a drug-checking program could cost taxpayers.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Joe Scarpelli
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.
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.
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.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
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.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
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.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.