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Saskatoon’s safe injection site, Prairie Harm Reduction (PHR), said on Sunday its exemption to operate had been suspended by Health Canada on Thursday.
Earlier last week, PHR said its board of directors was advised of a “significant financial shortfall in operating funds,” and terminated its executive director, Kayla DeMong.
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At that time, PHR said demand for its services had increased by nearly 300 per cent and a “combination of rapid growth in demand and insufficient financial management had resulted in a significant cash deficit,” and financial management for the organization “fell significantly short of what was required.”
In a statement on Sunday, PHR said the March 26 suspension was “unfortunate, but not unexpected.”
“Health Canada closely monitors all supervised consumption sites across the country, reviewing the policies, procedures, personnel, and finances at each site,” the statement said.
“We are in close contact with Health Canada and actively working to provide the information requested so the suspension may be lifted.”
The PHR drop-in centre on 20th Street West remains open, it said, while the board of directors and external financial experts, continue to undertake a detailed review, adding a preliminary report was expected in early April.
The statement also said Emmanuelle “Em” Morin would be working with the board as a transitional support specialist.
Morin is a former executive director of Aids Saskatoon (the precursor to PHR) and currently operates Cambiar Consulting, the statement added.
Morin would be “temporarily providing support to the PHR staff and board and overseeing PHR’s day-to-day operations as PHR adjusts and adapts to the current situation.”
PHR said it would be making no further comment.
The organization said it is in need of help to keep its doors open and continue offering its services in Saskatoon, and asked for any donations to be made online through CanadaHelps.
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