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Three provincial mental health and addictions ministers gathered in Calgary on Thursday to announce an information-sharing partnership on their shared move to a recovery-oriented system of care.
Saskatchewan’s Tim McLeod was there with Alberta’s Dan Williams and Ontario’s associate minister, Michael Tibollo.
McLeod talked about the partnership, saying addictions don’t know boundaries and don’t stop at borders.
“When individuals are walking that path (of recovery) they … might cross those borders into the neighbouring provinces, and if we have a unified approach where we’re all focused on a recovery-oriented system of care and recovery model, I think that is better serving the people that are using those systems,” said McLeod.
Williams said the partnership will be about a sharing of ideas to start and that having collaborative partners across provincial boundaries is appropriate when there’s work to be done across ministries, organizations and governments as well.
Tibollo said having an open dialogue and talking about mental health will be a way to help get over the stigma of mental health.
However, the announcement was happening the same week safe consumption site operator and community organization Prairie Harm Reduction in Saskatoon announced it would have to cut its hours in half due to a lack of funding.
New numbers also just came out this week showing Saskatchewan is on track to have its second-worst year of drug overdose deaths; 2023 was potentially the worst, if all suspected overdoses are confirmed. The numbers showed 21 confirmed and 87 suspected overdose deaths in the first three months of 2024.
(Saskatchewan Coroners Service)
When asked about those issues, McLeod said every overdose death is a tragedy and that, he said, is why the government is sending the message that there’s help through treatment and hope for recovery.
He said the recovery-oriented system of care wraps supports around a person, even if they’re not ready for recovery.
“We need to identify what that specific individual needs and, I would say, what they need is not more drugs – what they need are the supports that will address the underlying trauma,” he said. “They need the supports that will get them on a path to recovery. And we will follow them down that path on a full continuum of care through the recovery-oriented system.”
He also named harm reduction services the provincial government is funding, like the naloxone program for overdose reversal kits, overdose outreach teams, and community wellness vans.
The provincial government has long refused to fund safe consumption sites, and this year chose to stop funding new pipe and needles programs which experts said was a decision that will increase infection.
