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The only supervised safe consumption site in Saskatchewan’s biggest city is not operating after Health Canada suspended its exemption.
In a news release, Prairie Harm Reduction (PHR) said Health Canada suspended its exemption to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act on Thursday.
The supervised consumption site will remain closed until the suspension is lifted by Health Canada, PHR told CBC. Its drop-in centre and other programming remain open and operating.
The announcement came following the discovery of a “significant financial shortfall” at the Saskatoon non-profit organization. The board announced last week that it had fired its executive director Kayla DeMong.
At the time, the board said it does not believe there is evidence of fraud or theft, but that financial management fell short of expectations.
PHR said the suspension of the exemption was “unfortunate, but not unexpected.”
“Health Canada closely monitors all supervised consumption sites across the country, reviewing policies, procedures, personnel and finances at each site,” PHR said.
PHR said it is also working with external financial experts to do a detailed review of its financial reporting and current financial status.
It expects to have a preliminary report in early April, it said.
The PHR board also announced that Emmanuelle (Em) Morin will be temporarily overseeing PHR’s day-to-day operations as its transitional support specialist. Morin is the former executive director of Aids Saskatoon and currently operates Cambiar Consulting.
PHR said it is in close contact with Health Canada and is “actively working to provide the information requested so the suspension may be lifted.”
It said it fully respects and supports Health Canada’s regulatory role and remains committed to meeting and exceeding Health Canada’s requirements.