Dr. Leah Genge together with Harry Critchley from the East Coast Prison Justice Society requested the City of Halifax conduct a study on establishing sobering centres.
The discussion came to light in 2016 after the death of Corey Rogers, who died of suffocation from a spit hood in a lockup cell.
“It’s all about responding to the right thing with the right strategy, and a police response for public intoxication is not the right response to this issue,” said Genge.
According to the report, which was conducted by the city’s public safety adviser, Amy Siciliano, Nova Scotia has a relatively high rate of drinking compared to the national average. A sobering centre is a safe place where intoxicated people can sleep off the effects of drugs and alcohol as an alternative to drunk tanks and emergency departments.
They exist in several places across Canada and often serve a dual purpose: they look out for the health and wellbeing of clients and are cost efficient by diverting individuals away from those more costly alternatives.
“If you can divert one third of all people who are being detained … then that’s tremendous … for such a small amount of money. I really want to stress that it’s been great to see that the city’s taken this serious so far,” said Critchley.
“And now my hope is that since it’s going to council, that they will take it seriously as well.”
Genge says it is time to recognize there are alternatives to drunk tanks, adding that the momentum in the province to recognize that change is needed is something she has noticed.
“First and foremost, I think it’s going to treat people with substance abuse disorder with more dignity and a more humane response to their intoxication. You know, hopefully this can be more of a community effort,” she said.
The report will be delivered to Regional Council on June 29.
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