Businesses and supporters across Saskatchewan donated more than $180,000 to Prairie Harm Reduction (PHR), the supervised consumption site, after the provincial government denied the site’ application for more support.
“It’s just showing the narrative on addictions is changing here in the prairies,” Jason Mercredi, PHR’s executive director, said.
Mercredi tallied up all the donations the site received since the Saskatchewan Government denied his request for additional funding almost one month ago.
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Mercredi told Global News more than 50 businesses are supporting PHR, which he said was extremely humbling.
“It’s telling us that harm reduction is here to stay and that I think it’s pretty clear that the government got the funding decision wrong.”
Mercredi said the money will go towards hiring a paramedic and support worker, which will allow the site to remain open until 9 or 10 p.m. in the evening on weeknights. He also said PHR is hoping to buy equipment to start testing the drugs clients use, to ensure there aren’t any other substances in them.
“It’s not quite this staffing contingent we wanted, but the expansion is still better than nothing. And to offer drug testing services is going to be major,” he said.
Mercredi applied for an additional $1.3 million to hire more staff, including a dozen more paramedics, so the site could provide support to its clients 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The government’s decision not to support it kicked off a surge of financial support from businesses across the province. From pole dancing studios to bakeries, the donations flooded in.
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He said the funding secures the position until the end of PHR’s fiscal year, next March.
There are a few fundraisers still ongoing, but he said the site needs government support to be sustainable.
Global News reached out to the government for comment and did not immediately hear back.
