AHS taking over Red Deer supervised consumption site and making it mobile
Red Deer's supervised consumption service is transitioning to a mobile site in the coming months, the Alberta government announced on Friday.
Alberta Health Services (AHS) will take over the site from Turning Point, a private group that has operated the facility since it opened in October 2018.
The transition will take three to six months and the service will remain at its current location for now. The mobile site could move based on municipal input and "the changing needs of the community," the province wrote in a release.
- Provincial review of supervised consumption sites coming to Red Deer
- Tensions high as review of supervised consumption services comes to Red Deer
The government did not specify why AHS is taking over operations from Turning Point but called the transition "necessary to respond to the changing needs in Red Deer while improving the standard of service delivery at the overdose prevention site."
Turning Point said it is "surprised by this decision" and "still unsure of its rationale."
"On February 1, 2023, the management team of Turning Point Society’s Overdose Prevention Site (OPS) overhead a city councillor and a local MLA’s assistant at a local café openly discussing the Alberta government and the City of Red Deer’s proposed changes to the operations of the OPS, including alluding to the fact it will become a mobile site," Mitchell Danser, Turning Point's communications and community engagement coordinator, wrote in a statement to CTV News.
Red Deer Mayor Ken Johnston said the way Turning Point found out is unacceptable and apologized.
"We thank Turning Point for their years of service and the lives saved over the past several years," he added.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Snowbirds in Vancouver for puck-drop flyby as Canucks face Oilers
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be performing a flyover across downtown Vancouver at the start of tonight's Stanley Cup playoff game between the Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.