CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — P.E.I.’s new health minister is personally in favour of a safe consumption site for opioids, among other illicit substances, on P.E.I.
Ernie Hudson indicated his support for establishing the harm reduction site, which would see health professionals provide oversight of use of illicit drugs, in the legislature during question period on Friday.
P.E.I. has seen a number of overdose deaths related to fentanyl over the course of the pandemic. At least six occurred between January and September of 2020, according to the Chief Public Health Office; three have been linked to fentanyl.
Hudson was asked about safe consumption sites by Liberal MLA Heath MacDonald on Friday. MacDonald pointed to remarks by former Health Minister James Aylward that safe consumption sites were not “off the table” in P.E.I.
“The former minister of health rose in this legislature to voice his belief in and desire to see supervised consumption sites rolled out in P.E.I. to augment our harm reduction approach to addiction services here in the province,” MacDonald said.
“Minister, do you personally support supervised consumption sites?”
“If individuals, which we know right across the province, have addictions, we certainly, as a government, as a society (owe it to) these individuals to make it safe for them as possible,” Hudson said.
“With regard to the member’s question, he asked my personal opinion on this, and my personal opinion on this is, yes.”
Hudson also said he would “move forward” on the issue.
In an interview, MacDonald said hearing Hudson’s remarks were a positive sign. But he said he was dismayed that the subject of safe consumption sites, or harm reduction for individuals struggling with addiction, was not mentioned in the recent speech from the throne.
MacDonald said advocates like PEERS Alliance have suggested the province put in place an emergency overdose prevention site. This would require an application for a six-month exemption to the Federal Controlled Substances Act.
"I think it's something we should be doing. If we're not doing it – I think it should be made public," MacDonald said.
"Everybody's on side on this – municipalities are on-side, we've seen the city of Charlottetown, the city police talking about it."
In an interview, Hudson said he would not commit to a timeline for implementation of a safe consumption site.
"Are we going to have … harm reduction with regard to injection sites in the next week, next two weeks? No that's not going to happen," Hudson said.
Hudson said the province’s Chief Public Health Office would likely have to take a lead on it.
However, the CPHO is currently taking the lead role in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, which has consumed the lion’s share of resources of that office.
Hudson said his first conversations on the subject of safe consumption would be experts within his department, followed by community organizations, including groups like PEERS Alliance.
Stu Neatby is the political reporter for The Guardian. [email protected] @stu_neatby
