A person loads the Provincial Drug Alert System app into their phone on Jan. 11, 2024. (Gillian Massie/980 CJME)

By CJME News

Saskatchewan activates Provincial Drug Alert System

Jan 11, 2024 | 12:57 PM

With Saskatchewan poised to set another annual record for overdose deaths, several agencies have taken a step they hope will re-emphasize the dangers of illicit drug use in the province.

On Thursday, the Saskatchewan Drug Task Force (SDTF) launched the new Provincial Drug Alert System, which will communicate directly to at-risk people and their families.

“This is another great tool that we have to help educate the public about the dangers of illicit drug use,” Tim McLeod, the province’s mental health and addictions minister, told reporters during a media conference in Regina.

“We know that the drugs circulating are toxic, they’re lethal, and this is another way that we can get really the message out to the community from a reliable source that these dangers exist and warn the public about the risks associated with use of these drugs.”

Layne Jackson, the chief of Regina Fire and Protective Services, said firefighters went to nearly 1,700 overdoses in the city in 2023. He believes the new system, along with the work of community-based organizations, can help disseminate the message about dangerous drugs.

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“We think it could be a big game-changer in helping or potentially to save lives …,” Jackson said of the alert system.

“It provides a forum in the emergency services to provide real-time information on what we’re seeing for hazardous or dangerous circumstances or situations that are going on on-scene.”

(Government of Saskatchewan/Submitted)

The SDTF comprises representatives of the Regina and Saskatoon police services, the RCMP, the Saskatchewan Health Authority, the Saskatoon Tribal Council, and the provincial ministries of health, social services, corrections, policing and public safety.

The new system will send out alerts to at-risk people via text and email and through the Alertable app. As well, posters will be put up at locations such as community agencies, clinics or hospitals where services are provided.

The hope is that the information will be passed along to those who don’t have phones or computers and therefore didn’t get the alert directly.

“(An) alert will go out to anybody who has subscribed and the community partners who are having points of contact with individuals at risk who maybe don’t have a computer or phone, they’ll be receiving this,” McLeod said. “Word of mouth among that community is a very effective tool.”

Anyone can sign up to receive an alert through text, email or the downloadable app. Details on how to sign up for the alerts are available at saskatchewan.ca/drug-alerts or by texting JOIN to 1-833-35-B-SAFE (352-7233).

The Ministry of Health will send out the alerts after receiving information from organizations like the Saskatchewan Coroners Service, the Regina and Saskatoon fire services, and drug-checking sites in Saskatoon and Regina.

According to a media release, the alerts will be issued when the ministry gets reports of:

• A higher-than-expected number of individuals being seen by paramedics or in hospital with an overdose over a short period of time;
• Multiple severe outcomes (such as ICU admissions or deaths) over a short period of time;
• Multiple overdoses in persons who use or live in the same area or location or who report use of a common substance;
• Overdoses that are difficult to reverse with naloxone; and
• Concerning substances in circulation that are causing harm or death or with the potential to cause harm or death.
  (Submitted/Government of Saskatchewan)

Regina Mayor Sandra Masters said the alert system is one of “the building blocks” that are necessary to have a positive effect on the problem.

“This is that real-time alert system,” she said. “We know that more toxic substances, deadly substances, are getting into the drug supply and so really, to have that collaboration across ministries and the first responders is critical to try to get that word out.”

The SDTF also oversees the operation of the Overdose Outreach Teams pilot project, which involves first responders joining health-care professionals to meet people who are at risk of overdose.

The provincial government has committed to adding at least 500 addiction treatment spaces across the province over the next five years as part of its Action Plan for Mental Health and Addictions.

Since October, 168 spaces have been announced so far, including 32 intensive outpatient treatment spaces through Possibilities Recovery Centre in Saskatoon and 60 inpatient treatment spaces through EHN Canada near Lumsden.

Asked where the staff would come from for those facilities, McLeod noted the government is acquiring the treatment spaces from service providers, so those organizations — not the government — will be hiring the specialists they need.

— With files from 980 CJME’s Gillian Massie