Judge dismisses legal bid to halt closure of supervised drug sites in Alberta
Court rejects injunction request to pause closures of supervised consumption sites in Calgary and Lethbridge, both set to close June 30.
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A judge has dismissed a legal effort to temporarily halt the closures of two supervised consumption sites in Alberta.
Lawyer Avnish Nanda applied for an injunction in April to pause the closures in Calgary and Lethbridge, arguing they breach several sections of the Charter, including the right to life, liberty, and security. Both sites are now expected to close June 30.
In his decision, Court of King's Bench Justice Jason Wilkins in Calgary cited precedent from the Alberta Court of Appeal, which dismissed a separate application seeking an injunction against the closure of a supervised consumption site in Red Deer.
Nanda's client, Travis Peddie, 41, says in an affidavit that he's an addict and has used the sites in Calgary and Lethbridge for the past seven years. He says he has frequently overdosed at both sites but has been saved repeatedly by staff.
Data from Alberta's substance use surveillance system shows that from October to December last year, more than 9,000 people used the Calgary site and more than 15,000 used the one in Lethbridge.
Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis said in March that funding for the two sites would be transitioned into different support services, including 30 to 40 new withdrawal management beds in Calgary and 10 additional withdrawal beds and an addiction medicine clinic in Lethbridge.
Nanda said he plans to appeal and noted that the remaining three supervised consumption sites in the province include two in Edmonton and one in Grande Prairie.