Saskatchewan Halts Harm Reduction Site Funding

0:00It's March 31st. This is Vancouver News today, powered by AI. I'm Cory with the story. Saskatchewan's government just pulled the plug on its contract with Saskatoon's Prairie Harm Reduction, a supervised consumption site for mental, health and addictions. This drop comes only days after Health Canada suspended the site's federal exemption on March 25th, citing major funding shortages and operational issues. The province made it clear they don't fund these kinds of sites at all. Earlier this week, the mental health minister, Lori Carr, sent a letter to her federal counterpart, pushing hard not to renew the exemption, which was up in March. They're also slashing other supports like crisis help, housing and social services that the group provided. Folks in the community, business owners and locals have raised big concerns about the site's location in Saskatoon, pushing the province to I-New. Laws that could limit where these spots operate. Prairie Harm Reduction says their drop in center stays open, but the supervised services are shut down

1:03for now. The province had been kicking in $346,000 a year for outreach in the Lockstone Access, plus $2,100, $81,000 for youth homes and family supports. Those are getting cut too. PHR is hustling to get their exemption back by feeding Health Canada the info they need. With community pushback and funding fights heating up, this could reshape addiction services in the province, forcing a shift toward treatment focused, recovery over harm reduction.