Prime minister visits Edmonton, criticizes Alberta's response to opioid crisis
© Provided by The Canadian Press
EDMONTON — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau criticized the Alberta government Tuesday for not addressing the opioid epidemic in ways that have proven to be effective elsewhere.
“As a government, we've continued to push for safe consumption sites," Trudeau said at the old Mercer Warehouse, where he promoted his Liberal government's budget plan to relax tax laws for small businesses.
Alberta's United Conservative Party government has focused on a recovery-oriented strategy. Access to opioid dependency programs and drug-use sites has been limited.
"It's unfortunate to see Alberta going in the opposite direction, away from a science-based and harm reduction approach. We know that municipal leaders, like here in Edmonton, are serious about supporting people through this terrible tragedy."
A council committee on Monday voted to ask the city's administration to explore the issue of decriminalizing simple possession of illegal drugs and provide recommendations by early next year.
Alberta last year recorded its deadliest year for drug overdoses since it began collecting data in 2016. Government figures show 171 people died in November and 178 in December — the highest single-month numbers ever — for a total of 1,758 fatalities in 2021.
In a post on Twitter, the press secretary for Mike Ellis, Alberta'smental health and addictions associate minister, referred to another tweet about Trudeau's comments as "a joke."
"People can recover, it is shameful he can’t recognize that," said Eric Engler in the tweet
Earlier in the day, Trudeau shook hands with entrepreneurs at the warehouse, which is home to StartUp Edmonton, a workspace and incubator for small-business owners.
The business owners Trudeau spoke to included a man using machine learning to help construction companies fill job openings faster and another man hoping to create a crypto currency brokerage.
Trudeau explained Ottawa's aim to cut taxes for small businesses and highlighted a recently announced billion-dollar plan to create an independent federal innovation and investment agency.
"Canada has some of the best scientists, thinkers, entrepreneurs and innovators in the world," Trudeau said. "But in order to bring those great ideas to market and help their businesses grow, they need support for research, development and mostly commercialization."
The Liberal government's proposal would allow companies to take advantage of Canada’s low small-business tax rate for longer and until their taxable capital reached $50 million — an increase from a previous $15-million limit.
Calgary's lone Liberal member of Parliament, George Chahal, joined Trudeau alongside community business leaders.
Trudeau also met with members of the local Ukrainian and Afghan communities and visited a nature-based solutions lab to highlight investments in green technologies.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 12, 2022.
— With files from Daniela Germano in Edmonton and Alanna Smith in Calgary
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This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
Fakiha Baig, The Canadian Press
Edmonton takes step toward decriminalizing simple possession of illegal drugs
Kim Smith - Monday
At a committee meeting Monday morning, Edmonton city councillors voted in favour of asking administration to explore the issue of decriminalizing simple possession of illegal drugs and provide recommendations by early 2023.
© Provided by Global NewsAt a committee meeting Monday morning, Edmonton city councillors voted in favour of asking administration to explore the issue of decriminalizing simple possession of illegal drugs and provide recommendations by early 2023.
Mayor Amarjeet Sohi put forward the motion and councillors Tim Cartmell, Michael Janz, Karen Tang and Jo-Anne Wright all voted in favour. The motion will still need to go before a city council meeting.
"Having a comprehensive plan, including decriminalizing of simple possession, is a tool that we want to explore," Sohi told reporters following the committee meeting.
"This is a long-term strategy because it involves a comprehensive application process. It would require a lot of advocacy work that we would have to undertake with local authorities here as well as with the federal government and coordinating our efforts with other municipalities. So it's going to take some time for us to figure it out."
Read more:
There are growing calls for drug decriminalization. Could it solve Canada’s opioid crisis?
As a crisis of opioid-related overdoses and deaths rages on in Canada, advocates have long been saying that decriminalization would help to reduce stigma associated with drug use and help save lives.
"People aren't scared to tell me about their cannabis use, imagine if people weren't scared to tell me, as a physician, about their drug use and wanted to have an open and honest conversation?" Dr. Ginetta Salvalaggio, with the Edmonton Zone Medical Staff Association's opioid poisoning committee, told city councillors.
"That would be a game-changer," she said.
Darren McGeown, owner of Arcadia Brewing Co., spoke in favour of Edmonton decriminalizing possession of illegal drugs. He said as a business owner, he needs to be voicing his support for harm-reduction strategies to help tackle the drug crisis.
"I feel as a business owner, I have a duty to create a stronger community. A strong community outside creates a strong community inside Arcadia," McGeown told Global News.
"These drug poisonings are happening all over the city. This isn't just a downtown Edmonton situation. I think more businesses involved, the stronger voice we have."
Edmonton is the latest Canadian jurisdiction to explore the issue.
READ MORE: Jurisdictions pushing to decriminalize small amounts of drugs as overdose deaths soar
Under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, jurisdictions can ask the federal government for exemptions to allow people to have small amounts of substances such as cocaine, heroin and fentanyl.
Vancouver formally asked for that in May 2021.
British Columbia was the first province to make its own request, in November 2021. Toronto followed in January.
With files from The Canadian Press.
Kim Smith - Monday
At a committee meeting Monday morning, Edmonton city councillors voted in favour of asking administration to explore the issue of decriminalizing simple possession of illegal drugs and provide recommendations by early 2023.
© Provided by Global NewsAt a committee meeting Monday morning, Edmonton city councillors voted in favour of asking administration to explore the issue of decriminalizing simple possession of illegal drugs and provide recommendations by early 2023.
Mayor Amarjeet Sohi put forward the motion and councillors Tim Cartmell, Michael Janz, Karen Tang and Jo-Anne Wright all voted in favour. The motion will still need to go before a city council meeting.
"Having a comprehensive plan, including decriminalizing of simple possession, is a tool that we want to explore," Sohi told reporters following the committee meeting.
"This is a long-term strategy because it involves a comprehensive application process. It would require a lot of advocacy work that we would have to undertake with local authorities here as well as with the federal government and coordinating our efforts with other municipalities. So it's going to take some time for us to figure it out."
Read more:
There are growing calls for drug decriminalization. Could it solve Canada’s opioid crisis?
As a crisis of opioid-related overdoses and deaths rages on in Canada, advocates have long been saying that decriminalization would help to reduce stigma associated with drug use and help save lives.
In Edmonton last year, a record-breaking 666 people died from drug poisoning, according to Sohi.
"People aren't scared to tell me about their cannabis use, imagine if people weren't scared to tell me, as a physician, about their drug use and wanted to have an open and honest conversation?" Dr. Ginetta Salvalaggio, with the Edmonton Zone Medical Staff Association's opioid poisoning committee, told city councillors.
"That would be a game-changer," she said.
Darren McGeown, owner of Arcadia Brewing Co., spoke in favour of Edmonton decriminalizing possession of illegal drugs. He said as a business owner, he needs to be voicing his support for harm-reduction strategies to help tackle the drug crisis.
"I feel as a business owner, I have a duty to create a stronger community. A strong community outside creates a strong community inside Arcadia," McGeown told Global News.
"These drug poisonings are happening all over the city. This isn't just a downtown Edmonton situation. I think more businesses involved, the stronger voice we have."
Edmonton is the latest Canadian jurisdiction to explore the issue.
READ MORE: Jurisdictions pushing to decriminalize small amounts of drugs as overdose deaths soar
Under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, jurisdictions can ask the federal government for exemptions to allow people to have small amounts of substances such as cocaine, heroin and fentanyl.
Vancouver formally asked for that in May 2021.
British Columbia was the first province to make its own request, in November 2021. Toronto followed in January.
With files from The Canadian Press.
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