Edmonton Facts for Safe Consumption Site (SCS) Review Panel in Edmonton

• ‘Supervised consumption’ is a proven strategy that saves lives and prevents illness for people who use substances and often without stable housing. It is one component in the spectrum of prevention, harm reduction, and treatment. SCS is neither the cause nor the solution for all of the social issues associated with poverty and homelessness.

• Rather than resorting to unsafe, high risk conditions, community members have access to a calm, hygienic environment where they build trusting relationships with staff. The environment opens up connections with supports, including referrals to treatment.

• Based on scientific research, Edmonton chose to locate SCS in an area where there was a high need for this strategy and integrated the health service within three organizations that work with this population. These three small-scale SCS programs add up the size of a typical SCS site.

• Providing 24/7 coverage, Boyle Street Community Services primarily offers the service during daytime hours, Boyle McCauley Health Centre provides during daytime including weekends and George Spady Society during evenings and weekends. The response has been high. Over 1,700 people having accessed the community-based SCS since March 2018, with 730 overdose reversals, and 25,000 external referrals. No one has died within an SCS.

• City of Edmonton data show a 51% reduction in needle debris since SCS opened in March 2018.

• Edmonton Police reports up to a 32% decrease in crime calls and occurrences in the immediate area surrounding SCS’s.

• In 2019, the Federal Court of Canada determined that Edmonton amassed an “impressive collection of supporting information” and met all of Health Canada’s requirements to approve its application.