Higgs says he won't approve any safe injection sites if re-elected

New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs said if re-elected, his government "will not approve any new supervised injection sites across the province."

His comments at a Saint John Chamber of Commerce event Monday comes three days after the Progressive Conservative government announced it's giving nearly $1.5 million to finance the expansion of a Christian-based addictions rehab centre outside Fredericton.

Higgs told the chamber that if re-elected, his government would "launch consultations with local governments and community members about existing supervised injection sites and what impact they are having in their communities."

New Brunswick has only one injection site, in Moncton. This location has health-care workers who can help if an overdose takes place. It also allows people access to mental health and addiction help if they decide to seek treatment.

Advocates have been calling for one to be opened in Saint John for years. Julie Dingwell, executive director of Avenue B Harm Reduction Inc., said supervised consumption sites prevent overdose deaths.

She said she's disappointed with the premier's words, but it won't stop her advocacy.

"It's about saving lives," she said. "What we need to do is to keep people alive because dead people can't recover."

New Brunswick Public Health previously said 2023 was a record-breaking year, with 72 people dying of an opioid overdose. The number is a 40 per cent increase from 2022.

Faith-based program funding must be balanced, advocates say

Village of Hope is located in Upper Tracy about 50 kilometres south of Fredericton. According to a provincial news release, the money will going toward an expansion of the 350-acre property to include a women's dorm and a centre for visitors and families.

The 10-month treatment program includes mandatory daily Bible study and church attendance.

Dingwell said she is happy to see funding for Village of Hope because faith helps some people recover, but she said it can't be at the expense of emergency intervention, such as safe injection sites to prevent overdoses.

Eric Weissman, an associate professor at the University of New Brunswick in Saint John, said any kind of funding to addiction recovery efforts is welcome.

But the key is to keep the funding diverse and balanced, covering the spectrum from faith-based abstinence programs to supervised injections sites.

"It includes the wet shelters, it includes harm reduction facilities … managed consumption," he said in an interview.

In his state of the province address in February, Higgs promised an additional 50 beds for treatment for adults.

The Village of Hope program already has space for 20 men and eight women, a provincial spokesperson said. The expansion project will increase the women's spaces to 16.

The Vitalité Health Network has 18 beds at its Centre for Hope and Harmony in Campbellton, where it provides personalized residential services for a stay of 30 to 90 days.

The Horizon Health Network operates a residential recovery centre in Saint John, which can accommodate up to 14 people.