SASKATOON - The opposition New Democrats are again calling for stepped up efforts to address the addictions issue in the province.
“We are in a state of emergency when it comes to the drug epidemic in Saskatchewan,” said Saskatoon Centre MLA Betty Nippi-Albright. She called for an emergency action plan to address the drug issue right away.
“I 'm calling on Mental Health and Addictions Minister Lori Carr to increase funding to frontline health care services focused on preventing drug deaths and supporting mental health. Improve tracking and public reporting of drug toxicity deaths. Publish long promised reports on treatment facilities including Willowview near Lumsden.”
In her remarks Nippi-Albright again blasted the Willowview facility which is now operational, claiming the government “wasted over $1.5 million dollars on Willowview while it sat closed.”
She also pointed to data from the Saskatchewan Coroner Service that shows between Jan. 1 and Aug. 1, there have been 210 confirmed or suspected drug toxicity deaths.
“Here in Saskatoon, we hear that number has already surpassed the total for all of 2024. And these are just the deaths we know about. We believe hundreds more people have died or suffered serious harm from drug overdose. We hear heartbreaking stories every single day. The Sask Party is slow to respond even though we are losing so many young people and so many lives are being destroyed by substance use harms. The impact is staggering. People no longer feel safe in our downtowns. Crime rates have skyrocketed. The true human cost may never be known.”
While Nippi-Albright was in Saskatoon on Monday, Minister Carr was on her rural tour today to Shellbrook and Prince Albert to meet local leadership, health care staff and to visit health care facilities. The province was also touting health care investments in the region including $322 million toward construction of the Prince Albert Victoria Hospital Acute Care Tower. The province also is reporting the hospital project reached the 25 per cent construction milestone earlier this summer.
In a statement in response to Nippi-Albright’s news conference, the Sask Party government states that in 2024, “Saskatchewan saw a decline in the number of overdose deaths compared to the previous year. This is a trend that appears to be continuing into 2025.”
Drug toxicity deaths stood at 456 in 2023, and dripped to 342 in 2024. As for the number of 210 drug deaths from Jan. 1 to the end of July 2025, that represents year-to-date decline of eight per cent compared to the same period in 2024, when the number was 229.
The province states it “remains concerned about overdoses and their impact on individuals, families, and communities.”
They point to adding “new treatment spaces as part of our commitment to add 500 new addictions treatment spaces to the Saskatchewan health care system by the year 2028,” and said they have achieved over half of this goal with 281 of the 500 already operational.
They also point to the government taking additional actions to remove toxic and illicit drugs such as fentanyl and methamphetamine from communities, including amendments made to The Safe Public Spaces (Street Weapons) Act, to “include dangerous, drug-related items as street weapons in Act, allowing police to seize these items and in some cases lay charges under the Act.”
The government also accused the “lost, reckless, and dishonest NDP” of having “repeatedly indicated that they support the use of illicit drugs, even going as far as claiming it is ‘necessary to legalize’ such toxic substances. Our government believes there is no safe use of illicit drugs and that recovery is the best option for anyone struggling with an addiction.”
With files from Jon Perez
