Moms Stop the Harm (MSTH), a group of parents who have lost children to overdoses, want Saskatoon’s city council to join their call for the federal government to do more.
The group sent a letter to City Hall asking the city to “consider passing the attached resolution calling on the federal government to… do the right thing and declare the overdose crisis a national public health emergency” and create a nationwide plan that involves the provinces.
Marie Agioritis, speaking via Zoom, said MSTH was sending or sent similar letters to cities across the country.
They’re focusing on cities because, she said, their calls to the federal government have been ignored.
“(The decision on how to respond is) very political, and it’s often tied to policy from within. And that doesn’t get you very far,” she said.
She told Global News the federal government is too far removed from the issue, so MSTH decided to address local policy-makers.
“City council has it in front of their face all the time. They’re dealing with front line organizations. They’re dealing with safety on the streets and policing and all those things,” she said.
Agioritis said the declaration of a national public health emergency is important to marshal more financial and logistical support.
Anna Pacik, the communications manager for the Lighthouse Assisted Living, said more funding and better planning is sorely needed.
Last Thursday, seven people overdosed at the shelter — six of them in the same room at the same time.
All lived, but Pacik struggled to find the words to address the shock caused by so many close calls.
She told Global News Lighthouse staff have seen “a huge uptick in overdoses” since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
“We hear about it every day,” she said, “and I suspect that there are more overdoses than we actually hear about.”
According to the Saskatchewan Coroners Service, 172 people died from overdoses and another 205 are suspected to have died from overdoses in 2020. The previous record of 177, set in 2019, would be shattered if even a fraction of the suspected overdoses is confirmed.
“The numbers have been so high and the cry for help seems to fall on deaf ears,” Pacik said.
“We need to do something about it as a country.”
Mayor Charlie Clark told the Planning, Development and Priorities committee he supported the motion, saying it’s “a national crisis and a crisis in our community as well.”
The committee voted to send the proposal to city council for further consideration.
Ultimately Agioritis wants the federal government to decriminalize personal amounts of drugs and for the health care and criminal justice system to treat addiction differently so that people suffering from addiction can explore treatment options.
“Some people may never (recover) and some people are still going to die from it, but right now we have people dying unnecessarily because there is so much poison on the street.”
Federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu’s office did not respond to a request for comment by deadline.