As the province wraps up its fall session, new legislation is still a work in progress.
The Saskatchewan government used its final meeting day of the year to put forward a long-awaited proposal for mandatory drug treatment.
The Compassionate Intervention Act, House Bill 48, would allow people with addictions to receive treatment against their choice, and would go into effect several months after the idea was first floated before the start of the fall session in October.
Premier Scott Moe says introducing the bill right before the end of the fall legislative session was intentional.
“It so happens that we now have a winter and a spring session to work through some of those operational issues that exist, as well as those that directly support people in their journey to recovery,” Moe told reporters after Friday's meeting.
Under this legislation, collection orders can be sought by family members, referrals from medical professionals or as a result of police intervention. However, a person under 18 years of age cannot be forced to undergo compulsory drug treatment.
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Patients who receive a reinstatement order will then be assessed by a hearing panel and will be able to appeal the panel's decision through the Court of Queen's Bench.
Saskatchewan Justice Minister Tim McLead says the law is intended for a “very select group of people” whose intoxication has “taken them to a place where they do not have the necessary capacity to care for themselves and they are a threat to themselves or others.”
“These people need to be provided with a healthy and safe environment until they can regain the ability to make healthy choices,” he told reporters at a news conference Friday after introducing the bill.
But for the executive director of a drug treatment center in Saskatoon, the law only leaves her wondering where patients will be taken and what treatment they will receive in a system that is already running at full capacity.
“There are just questions and not a lot of answers,” said Kayla DeMong, executive director of Prairie Harm Reduction.
“Even with what's being released today, it still doesn't answer any questions about what it will actually look like.”
Saskatchewan Mental Health and Addictions Minister Laurie Carr, who introduced the bill on Friday, told reporters that details surrounding the bill (such as where and how many custodial treatment facilities would be allocated to support the legislation) still need to be worked out.
The involuntary treatment centers will be different from the voluntary ones, and the number of involuntary treatment beds will be in addition to the 500 the province is working to add to its drug treatment system, Carr said.
Carr also could not provide a timeline for when the involuntary treatment facilities would begin operating.
But the Saskatchewan Opposition says there are currently not enough beds available for voluntary treatment.
“A lot of people want treatment, but there are no places,” said Betty Nippy-Albright, a critic of mental health and addictions.
As the province now seeks feedback from stakeholders, DeMong said she hopes they will consult with those accessing support, as well as Indigenous groups.
“Of all the community members, these are the groups that need to be the first to come to the table and really understand what this model is,” she said.
The bill will undergo a second reading when the legislature resumes on March 2.
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