Drug addictions panel seeking solutions at SACPA session
By Justin Sibbet - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on May 17, 2023.
Herald photo by Justin Sibbet
Panelist Dennis Bremner holds up an infographic sign about drug-related deaths during an SACPA event on Monday at the library.Drug addiction, an issue plaguing the city’s downtown core, is also tearing apart families and livelihoods.
As a result, the Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs (SACPA) held a special session Tuesday, which included a panel of three industry experts and one concerned citizen familiar with the issue.
One of the panelists, Bonnie Lee, an associate professor in the University of Lethbridge Health Sciences’ Addictions Counselling Program, said the first step toward a cleaner life is family therapy, but that cannot happen if the community fails to unite. Lee has done extensive research on counseling couples with addiction.
“An event like this is what Lethbridge is doing right, bringing community together and trying to understand this complex syndrome of addiction,” said Lee.
She said supporting therapy for those afflicted by addiction is paramount to success, but family and friends who surround the addicted person must also receive therapy and/or training in many circumstances.
“People always say, ‘let’s communicate’, as if it’s that simple. It’s actually something very complex.”
Lee said communication, family support and addictions counselling must come together to help people overcome drug use. She also pointed out addiction is not the problem itself, but a “symptom of the problem,” and people dealing with addictions should not be blamed.
“Addiction is a relationship problem that stems from early childhood trauma.”
Panelist Robin James of the Lethbridge Housing Authority, said the province is currently taking a positive approach by ensuring people struggling with addiction can have a roof over their heads.
“Removing those user fees across Alberta has been instrumental,” said James.
She also said Lethbridge is ramping up its efforts in this area, as well, and is seeing more funding and support.
“Lethbridge is moving towards a safe, responsible housing focused on current gaps in our housing continuum.”
LHA is taking steps to ensure individuals struggling with homelessness and addiction can be housed in appropriate recovery focused properties that meet their needs. Data for Lethbridge shows more than 70 per cent of individuals active in addiction die in their homes.
“The last thing we need is to contribute to this number with inappropriate housing models,” says James.
However, not every panelist agreed those struggling with addiction should be housed within the city.
Dennis Bremner, the self-proclaimed black sheep of the panel, said he has been working with Blackfoot elders to see a facility created outside of city limits that will house and help those in need.
He said that will remove them from the temptations of the city, while also helping to alleviate stress on businesses downtown.
“When we send people to rehab, the very first thing we do is remove them from all the bad influences and try to place them somewhere far from where there is familiar ground,” said Bremner.
He said Lethbridge will fall down the same rabbit hole as other cities, such as Vancouver, if treatment centres continue to operate at their current standard.
“I think we’re doing a lot right with manpower, but I think we’re doing a lot of things wrong with the whole system. I don’t follow what everyone is doing because I’ve seen it fail in too many places.”
He said his plan for a facility outside of the city would work to help both Standoff and Lethbridge, by cleaning up the streets while simultaneously supporting those who need help.
“Relieve Standoff of any problem people that they have, send them to the facility and we do the same [in Lethbridge]. Both get the opportunity to ensure they’ve got safety and security in their respective city,” said Bremner.
Chelsey DeGroot, program manager with Drug Treatment Court McMan Youth, said people who are struggling with addiction and facing criminal charges should be afforded help, not punishment.
“If jail worked in rehabilitating people, we wouldn’t need them because everyone would be rehabilitated,” said DeGroot.
She said drug courts will enable people to serve time for any committed crimes while simultaneously helping rid themselves of addiction.
Degroot added she used to work at the safe consumption site and said it was a success in Lethbridge, despite popular opinion.
“Did it ruin our community? No, it didn’t. We saw some success and unfortunately a lot of people in our community didn’t get to because they didn’t believe in the work that we did,” said DeGroot.
SACPA afforded members of the community a voice during the event as well, with people like Alvin Mills speaking about his Indigenous recovery camps outside of Lethbridge.
He said there are hundreds of Indigenous people struggling with addiction in Lethbridge and they must be included in any discussions.
“Every time we start talking on this, we have to include the Indigenous; 310 members from the Blood Reserve alone,” said Mills.
He said his recovery camp from last year saw huge successes, and he hopes to see more support this year, especially from the government.
“September the 30th, the funding got pulled by Ottawa, but we still made an impact.”
Despite the success of various programs, Mills remains concerned about the drug problem facing the community.
“Right now, the opioid crisis is at the worst it’s ever been.”
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“….Degroot added she used to work at the safe consumption site and said it was a success in Lethbridge, despite popular opinion. “Did it ruin our community? No, it didn’t….”
What a comment! Crime near that safe consumption site (SCS) went up almost 6,000%! Multiple people died with blocks of leaving the SCS, as they do in other cities and one even died right in their parking lot. Ask LPS how many of their officers had to administer Naloxone within 1 block of the SCS to people who has just left the SCS. They enable addicts and supply them with all the paraphernalia they need to do their drugs. The mobile Overdose Prevention Site (OPS) which sits at the shelter is where is should be and it isn’t that busy, since many get their paraphernalia they use to do their drugs directly from non-profits who walk the streets and deliver their ‘party packs’ to them. To those who do not know, there is a difference between an OPS and SCS as well. The fact is most do not want to go to either sites unless they need more paraphernalia.
I live, work and walk downtown and witnessed it ruin our city and have the thousands of pictures that show it and how the open drug use dramatically increased after the SCS opened.
It is shocking that someone with any intelligence could ever make such a statement! The SCS ruined our reputation internationally as well as been known to have the busiest SCS in the world, when actually the figures had been inflated, because it boiled down to 143 users who went into the site multiple times per day, counted as another user when gave the total of over 850 users per day. This was proven once the AHS took oversight of the SCS and Stacey Bourgue admitted this was what was happening.
Zero consideration for the increased loss of lives and the pain and suffering of the families, or the citizens and business community impacted by the opening of this site!
The SCS was a party palace, almost like a bar one goes to drink and listen to music instead they go to do drugs, listent to music or even play some instruments they had there!
I am shocked that anyone could make such a statement!
How telling it is that some among us refer to people suffering from substance abuse and addiction as “problem people” as opposed to people with problems.
Wow! Five negative votes as of 10:00 PM on May 17. I’m guessing that crew did not understand what you were getting at — which is that so many of the comments on this issue drip with racism and all too often use de-humanizing and othering language. Now, I fully expect the “Axis of Outrage” to rush to their keyboards, almost certainly after they have Googled the term “othering.”