With funding for proposed new supervised consumption sites now frozen in Alberta, a Calgary physician says every fentanyl death in the province going forward is on the hands of the UCP government.

“This community is ready to provide these services and by stopping us from doing so, every single fentanyl poisoning death from this moment on is at the hands of Jason Kenney’s government,” said Dr. Bonnie Larson, a family physician and assistant professor at the University of Calgary’s Department of Family Medicine.

Larson spoke at an NDP organized event in Calgary, along with family members of people who have used consumption sites.

She said drug overdoses should be treated as a health crisis.

“During an epidemic like SARS, and even during our annual influenza season, we don’t sit around in board rooms for a year or two debating the cost-effectiveness of everyone wearing masks and gloves,” said Larson.

“We don’t wait around for victims’ friends and family to fight for action, although maybe here in Alberta the perceptions of neighbours is more important than the lives of people who use drugs. These services need to be normalized, integrated and de-stigmatized and approached similarly to other public health interventions."

Jessica Holtsbaum spoke at the event while holding a photo of her brother, who died of a drug overdose.

“This is what I have left of him, and the sweater I’m wearing,” she said, holding back tears.

“He didn’t stand a chance in our current drug landscape, but if we continue with safe consumption services, others will be given a chance.

“Each person that uses these sites is someone who is loved and someone who deserves all the help they can get. What we’re trying to prevent is more people dying.”

Supervised consumption sites were created by the previous NDP government as a way to combat the ongoing opioid overdose epidemic in Alberta.

Existing sites will continue to operate in Calgary, Edmonton and Lethbridge during the review while proposed sites in Red Deer and Medicine Hat, along with a proposed mobile site in Calgary are on hold.

The UCP government has also earmarked $100 million over the next four years as part of a mental health and addictions strategy.

According to Alberta Health Services, 746 people died of an opioid overdose in 2018, an average of about two per day.