Regina's supervised consumption site reopens after fire

Katie Swyers · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 20, 2025 7:30 PM EDT | Last Updated: 41 minutes ago

There's inactive a somewhat smoky scent erstwhile you locomotion into the Nēwo-Yōtina Friendship Centre, connected 11th Avenue adjacent Broad Street in Regina, but the doors are unfastened again. 

The supervised depletion site was closed for much than 2 months aft a neighbouring edifice caught occurrence successful precocious March, causing extended fume harm to the upstairs portion of the centre's building.

Now, aft renovations, the harm simplification tract is larger and has much tables for users, unit say.

"It's going to tally amended now," said Emile Gariepy, the centre's harm simplification manager.

Gariepy gestured to wherever a partition was removed, allowing unit to alteration the centre's layout and person "more eyes" connected clients.  He said the alteration frees up the centre's paramedic, who antecedently had to enactment with users erstwhile the harmless injection country was successful a much secluded spot.

The centre's closure had a "major impact," arsenic galore returned to injecting successful backmost alleys, bathrooms and harder-to-discover areas, Gariepy said.

"It gets dangerous, due to the fact that erstwhile you overdose erstwhile you're trying to fell from the public, nobody's going to find you," helium said.

Gariepy said helium would talk to radical injecting connected the thoroughfare during the centre's closure and they would archer him, "the harmless injection tract is not unfastened anymore, truthful we request to find a spot to go." 

The Saskatchewan Health Authority issued an overdose alert for Regina past week, aft metropolis constabulary responded to 54 suspected overdoses from June 5 to 12 — with 12 calls happening connected a azygous day.     

Gariepy said Regina is facing an influx of toxic drugs, making the centre's relation crucial. 

"With the harmless injection tract being open, if they tally into those toxic drugs here, they overdose successful existent time. We ticker it hap close successful beforehand of ourselves and we get to bring them backmost close away," helium said, adding that often an ambulance is not adjacent needed.

That accelerated effect clip helps betterment and cuts down connected the interaction connected the health-care system, helium said.  

According to the Saskatchewan Coroners Service, 148 radical person died successful the state this twelvemonth from suspected oregon confirmed cause overdoses, arsenic of June 1.  

Free cause investigating is besides disposable astatine the centre, which received a imperishable ineligible exemption to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, allowing radical to usage drugs wrong the building, successful December 2024.  

The centre and Prairie Harm Reduction successful Saskatoon are the lone facilities with the national exemption successful Saskatchewan.

Gariepy stressed that the centre ne'er gives illicit drugs to users.

"They already person them. We are providing life-saving drugs, like naloxone."  

No much taste programming 

Before the fire, the Nēwo-Yōtina Friendship Centre besides ran taste programming successful the upstairs portion of the building, but that remains closed due to the fact that of fume damage. 

"This gathering is conscionable going to beryllium harm reduction," Gariepy said, adding staff will effort to connection taste programming arsenic overmuch arsenic they can, but determination are going to beryllium less of them successful the gathering now. 

There volition beryllium a lodging diversion idiosyncratic who tin assistance link radical to housing, helium said. 

The centre's fashionable escaped nutrient programme has besides resumed. The centre serves 50 to 60 porridges and java until 10 a.m. and past "an in-between luncheon and supper meal" astatine 3:30 p.m. 

"We wanted to marque definite radical person afloat bellies," Gariepy said, due to the fact that determination are not "many places successful this neighbourhood to get supper." On a engaged day, they tin springiness retired 50 meals successful 5 minutes, helium said. 

'Funding would beryllium great'

Saskatchewan's Ministry of Health does not money supervised depletion sites. Gariepy said the centre gets immoderate wealth from the city, immoderate donations and, "here and there, a mates of grants." 

"We scrape by and effort and bash the champion we can," helium said. "Funding would beryllium great."

Gariepy said much wealth would let the centre to they would summation its hours. Currently Nēwo-Yōtina operates from 9 a.m to 4 p.m. CST. In an perfect world, it would beryllium unfastened 24/7, helium said.

"We person had regular clients who died due to the fact that of the hours," helium said.