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Saskatchewan NDP mental health and addictions critic Betty Nippi-Albright said on Monday that “libraries are not treatment centres” as she urged the province to increase funding for treatment, housing and social support.
This follows the Saskatoon Public Libraries (SPL) announcement that the Dr. Freda Ahenakew Library on Avenue K South, and downtown’s Frances Morrison Library will close to the public until April 13. Regular service is expected to resume on April 21.
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Since January 1, the Saskatoon Fire Department has responded to 733 overdose incidents or suspected opioid poisonings in the city.
On Friday, a statement from SPL said that so far this year, library staff have responded to at least 48 drug overdoses or poisonings at both locations.
“Library workers are not addiction counsellors. This is not their job. The (provincial) government needs to step up and help people now,” Nippi-Albright told reporters in Saskatoon.
“We don’t know how many people have died, but we know that these drugs are killing people, including young people,” she said.
Nippi-Albright wants to see investments made in mental health and addictions services, instead of relying on virtual treatments.
She said funding should be directed towards mental health and addiction experts, as well as community organizations, suggesting that money could come from the Saskatchewan Marshals Service.
Sask. NDP mental health and addictions critic Betty Nippi-Albright (left) and Cara Stelmaschuk, national representative for CUPE, call for more provincial funding to solve Saskatoon’s overdose crisis on March 24, 2025 in Saskatoon. (Mia Holowaychuk/650 CKOM)
‘Library workers aren’t first responders’
Cara Stelmaschuk, a national representative with Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) said the temporary library closures were strictly a safety measure for staff.
CUPE 2669 represents approximately 250 Saskatoon Public Library workers.
“Library workers aren’t first responders, they shouldn’t have to deal with medical emergencies (and) they shouldn’t have to deal with violent people,” Stelmaschuk said.
“They should be there to help people read, find books, find information, learn to write a resume… all the wonderful things that a library can do are being overshadowed by things well beyond their control.”
Stelmaschuk said library workers have dealt with people bringing weapons like shovels, hammers, knives, and hockey sticks into the facilities.
Staff “have been hit, they’ve been spit on, (and) they’ve been assaulted,” she said.
“They have seen some very, very violent incidents that I know I would not sleep after seeing.”
She added that drug deals are being done in plain sight, and staff have had to clean up human waste, blood, and unknown substances.
Stelmaschuk echoed Nippi-Albright’s comments, stating more funding should go towards organizations like the Salvation Army, and Prairie Harm Reduction to alleviate pressures from the overdose crisis.
“We don’t need to make it perfect at this point, but at least take the effort,” Stelmaschuk said. “It’s a triage right now.”
Supervised consumption site, Prairie Harm Reduction, has also temporarily closed until March 31 due to staff stress and trauma caused by the surge in overdoses across the city in recent weeks.
650 CKOM has reached out to the provincial government for comment.
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