City overdose alert tied to loss of drug checking machine

While the closure of Saskatoon’s only supervised consumption site may not be the cause behind the overdose alert issued for the city earlier this week, its closure is contributing to the problem.

Toby Esterby, chief operations officer at the Saskatoon Community Clinic – an interdisciplinary primary health clinic with two locations in the city – said there is “significant concern” now that Prairie Harm Reduction (PHR) has closed its doors.

That closure means drug-testing technology Prairie Harm had permission to operate is not able to be used at this time, preventing organizations from being able to identify what might be contaminating the drug supply and increasing overdose numbers.

Read more:

• Province cancels funding contracts with Saskatoon’s Prairie Harm Reduction
• Prairie Harm Reduction operations suspended by Health Canada
• ‘Significant change’ for community after Prairie Harm closure: Saskatoon mayor

Esterby said Prairie Harm has played an important role in Saskatoon as a community organization working with vulnerable populations. As a result of the closure, other community organizations like his are now working to understand and identify what gaps have been left in meeting people’s needs.

“That work is, frankly, overwhelming and very urgent,” Esterby said.

He said the impact goes well beyond the supervised consumption site. Everything from case management services and the bathroom at Prairie Harm’s drop-in centre to family service programs and harm reduction supplies being provided throughout the community and to supported living facilities.

The loss of active drug testing is of particular concern, with the overdose alert just issued on Mon, April 13.

“We used that active drug testing and drug surveillance to understand what we are dealing with when we are facing an overdose crisis, which, by the way, is running in full force right now,” Esterby said.

“We are doing that blind because we don’t have that testing. We don’t know what it is that we’re fighting against,” he continued. “We don’t know what’s in the drug supply and we don’t know what it looks like.”

Esterby said that means organizations like his cannot warn drug users in the community who would usually rely on information from their organization to avoid problem substances when they arise.

Not being able to test drugs that could be contaminated amplifies the concern around this overdose alert for the city. Esterby said it’s suspected that a product being marketed as fentanyl has something else in it, likely benzodiazepines or medetomidine.

“We are running a very, very challenging race and the stakes are very high,” Esterby said, adding that whatever is lacing the drugs is making it “very hard to get people back” after an overdose.

An emailed statement from the Saskatchewan Health Authority this week stated that “no decisions have been made to identify a new location for the drug checking machine formerly located at Prairie Harm Reduction.”

The health authority said it is “committed to ensuring every resident of Saskatchewan receives safe, timely, and accessible care,” according to the statement.

Community organizations concerned for gaps in care

Serious concern over Prairie Harm’s closure is also shared by the First Nations Health Ombudsperson, who called the organization’s shuttering “a direct result of systemic inequality rooted in colonization, intergenerational trauma, and chronic underinvestment in First Nations health and social services across the prairies.”

A release from the ombudsperson shared on Facebook on April 12, said the closure “disproportionately harms First Nations peoples,” who are overrepresented in overdose deaths and those experiencing homelessness, poverty and “compounding health consequences of colonialism.”

The release noted that Prairie Harm Reduction embodied principles identified by the First Nations Health Authority, particularly addressing mental, emotional, spiritual and physical health aspects in a way that is more holistic and culturally-focused.

“For many First Nations people who have encountered racism and discrimination with mainstream healthcare settings, PHR represented a rare space of acceptance, non-judgement, and culturally-informed support,” the release stated.

Dianne Lafond, First Nations Health Ombudsperson, was quoted, saying “the consequences for the broader health system will be severe and measurable” as a result of Prairie Harm’s closure.

With the closure of Prairie Harm, an increased overdose response has been required of other emergency agencies in Saskatoon, Esterby noted.

“We have one less team responding to overdoses in the community, and the PHR team’s overdose response was significant,” he said.

Esterby said the goal of everyone is that someone struggling with addictions moves towards recovery in their substance abuse. However, he said recovery has to start somewhere.

“What one person considers to be step one might be a really, really long ways down the road from the next person,” Esterby explained.

“A lot of the hardest work in community is trying to be ready when a person is ready for that step one, and then also try to be warm and welcoming and kind and keep them alive until they’re ready for that step one.”

He said defining recovery can be a time-consuming argument.

“Our work right now is squarely focused on a response in (the) community that hopefully can help less people fall through the cracks that have been created here,” he shared.

The 20th Street West Saskatoon Community Clinic and Pharmacy location at the time the building was purchased by the Saskatoon Community Clinic Foundation in June 2025. (Saskatoon Community Clinic Primary Care and Pharmacy/Facebook)

Esterby said there is a long list of gaps and needs that people in Saskatoon will hear more about in the coming weeks, as organizations like his try to respond to the increasing need for care.

Overdoses could reach critical point this summer

Statistics from the fire department showed an increase in overdose calls during the first two months of 2026 compared to the same months last year, but a significant reduction in calls this March compared to last.

In January 2026, the Saskatoon Fire Department received 166 overdose calls compared to 135 in January last year. This February, there were 178 overdose calls compared to 172 in 2025.

March 2026 saw just 32 per cent of the calls received in the same month last year: 165 calls this year compared to 509 in March 2025.

As of April 14, the Saskatoon Fire Department had responded to 195 overdose calls so far this month – about 14 per day.

Between April 1 and 11 this year, about 30 per cent of the calls were within five blocks of Prairie Harm Reduction.

Fire Chief Doug Wegren said the fire department is “experiencing heightened calls or response to overdose incidents” and is closely monitoring the situation.

Wegren said the department is trained and staffed for the medical and safety needs in and around Saskatoon.

In 2025, overdose death numbers decreased, but the number of overdoses in Saskatoon, specifically, skyrocketed. Last year, Prairie Harm Reduction alone reported four to five times the number of overdoses it saw in 2024.

Since the closure of Prairie Harm, concerns and criticisms have been shared by many in Saskatchewan, responding to the event. One criticism raised has been that Prairie Harm did not focus enough on recovery efforts.

A significant homeless count in Saskatoon – meaning a greater number of outdoor encampments and more people in need of resources this summer – and the potential for another record-setting wildfire season are reasons for why Esterby is anticipating a concerning road ahead for organizations responding to overdoses in the coming months.

“We are going to see significantly new pressure on the frontline agencies and healthcare and social services and all of these functions, and many of our teams are starting to run out of steam,” Esterby said.

“It’s just going to magnify exponentially the pressures on community, the pressures on our emergency teams in fire, police, acute care, hospitals, emergency rooms.”

Esterby encouraged people to find a community organization that aligns with their values that they are willing to support.

“There’s so much more to it than just the sound bite-story of, ‘The safe consumption site is closed,’” he said.

“There’s just so much more at play, and there’s so much more at stake.”

Take home naloxone kits, training available

According to the Government of Saskatchewan, residents in the province who are at risk of an opioid overdose or could witness an overdose can receive free training and a free Naloxone kit to take home.

The training covers overdose prevention, recognition, response and how to administer naloxone, offered at sites operated by the Saskatchewan Health Authority and partner organizations.

Emergency departments across the province also offer take-home naloxone kits and naloxone can be purchased at pharmacies in Saskatchewan.

“It’s important to note that Naloxone treatment itself does not replace the need to seek immediate medical attention,” the province noted online.

“Call 911 immediately if you suspect an overdose.”