As the City of Saskatoon deals with an “unprecedented” number of overdoses, the city’s only safe consumption site is temporarily closing down.
Prairie Harm Reduction said the trauma from responding to overdoses every day is becoming too much and staff need time to recover.
For the next 11 days, their doors will be closed.
Ashley Greyeyes, the site’s drop-in supervisor, took to Facebook to share the news.
“Our team provides food, clothing and support, but more than anything we offer the one thing that’s too often withheld: dignity,” Greyeyes post reads.
“We respond to overdose after overdose, each one a tragic reminder of the lives on the edge.”
She said the last three weeks have been “brutal” with unprecedented numbers of overdoses, some fatal.
“Just recently we found ourselves responding to six overdoses at once, a harrowing moment that left us drained and broken, but still standing. It’s not just the physical toll; it’s the emotional weight of watching lives slip away,” Greyeyes said.
She went on to say the people Prairie Harm serves are not just statistics, but individuals with their own stories, struggles and potential for change.
“We need the public to understand this: addiction, homelessness and overdose are not distant problems. They are our problems (and) they affect us all,” she said.
“These individuals are more than their struggles. They are part of our community, and it’s time we show them the compassion they deserve.”
Prairie Harm is scheduled to reopen on March 31.
The Saskatoon Fire Department said they have responded to 696 overdose incidents since Jan. 1, 2025.
Saskatoon police say it has been a difficult time in the community, and officers feel it, too.
“If this continues we will have to figure out a way to support one another a little bit better,” Saskatoon police chief Cameron McBride said.
Saskatoon Mayor Cynthia Block said they are working on pushing the government to bring more medical professionals like paramedics into the city.
“This is heartbreaking, what’s happening to folks on the street who are overdosing, but it’s also a heartache for a lot of the people that are trying to keep them alive,” Block said.
On Wednesday, the 2025-26 provincial budget was unveiled, with no new harm reduction funding, but instead a commitment to 500 addiction treatment spaces and a recovery-oriented system.
“The best path forward is through recovery,” Saskatchewan mental health and addictions minister Lori Carr said. “We want healthy individuals, healthy families and healthy communities.”
Carr said Prairie Harm Reduction has not reached out to them, but they are open to talking about support.
“We are always open to those conversations,” she said. “I know that Saskatchewan Health Authority has been talking with them on how they can assist and so those conversations will continue and see where they go.”