Sask Party has rejected a call from the Opposition NDP to declare the province’s overdose crisis a public health emergency, despite growing concerns and a surge in overdose-related calls in Saskatoon.On Tuesday, NDP Mental Health and Addictions critic Betty Nippi-Albright introduced a motion during a legislative committee meeting urging the government to formally declare the crisis an emergency. The Sask Party voted down the motion immediately.“People are dying of drug overdose, and the Sask Party government is completely missing in action,” Nippi-Albright said. “They aren’t treating this crisis like a crisis.”She criticized the government’s approach, saying front-line workers such as librarians and bus drivers are being forced to respond to overdoses without adequate support, while the government “buries its head in the sand.”.Saskatoon Fire Department has responded to 935 overdose calls so far this year — averaging more than eight per day — a number Nippi-Albright says highlights the urgency of the situation. She added that there is no evidence the government’s current strategy is making a difference.“Far too many young people are losing their lives to drugs,” she said. “Parents and communities are grieving, and everyone on the frontlines I’m hearing from says that the issue keeps getting worse.”The Saskatchewan NDP is calling on Premier Scott Moe’s government to take stronger action to prevent overdoses and save lives, beginning with the declaration of a public health emergency.
