Plans for the construction of safe consumption sites in Alberta are in limbo at the moment, after the provincial UCP government followed through on a campaign promise last week and halted construction of sites in Calgary, Medicine Hat, and Red Deer, pending a review.

As some residents who lived around these sites are concerned about an increase in criminal behaviour, as well as used needles being left on the ground, while proponents of the sites are urging the government to move forward with the plans.

One of those sites is at Turning Point in Red Deer where city council approved the location of a supervised consumption site for the local charity who specializes in preventing sexually transmitted and blood borne infections.

Executive Director of Turning Point Stacey Carmichael says they had to halt their construction plans on the site, and are now in a holding pattern.

“We wholeheartedly believe that once the review is completed they will find that supervised consumption services are without a doubt a really important piece of a comprehensive addictions strategy in any community.”

Carmichael says they are still operating the overdose prevention site in Red Deer, and they are still anticipating opening a permanent safe consumption site in the future.

She hopes there is not too much of a hold up so they can continue with construction.

“We’ve started with asbestos abatement and the facility that we plan on using, and we have quotes out to the trades and we’d like to award those jobs and get started. We’re at a really critical place right now, and it’s important that this happens.”

Premier Jason Kenney says his government's response to opioid addiction will be guided by an evidence-based review of the supervised consumption sites.

According to Alberta Health Services, 733 people died of opioid overdoses in 2017 in Alberta alone, and that number has only grown as the opioid crisis worsens.

Earlier related stories:

Red Deer council takes first step to allow mobile supervised consumption

Turning Point Not Interested in Mobile Supervised Consumption Unit

Health clinics out as council mulls drug consumption sites

Six possible spots for supervised consumption services in Red Deer

Red Deer Hospital Chosen as Potential Safe Injection Site