Saskatoon safe consumption site temporarily closed as staff battle ‘trauma’

Prairie Harm Reduction said the trauma from responding to overdoses every day is becoming too much and staff need time to recover.

As the City of Saskatoon deals with an “unprecedented” number of overdoses, the city’s only safe consumption site is temporarily closing down.

Prairie Harm Reduction said the trauma from responding to overdoses every day is becoming too much and staff need time to recover.

For the next 11 days, their doors will be closed.

Ashley Greyeyes, the site’s drop-in supervisor, took to Facebook to share the news.

“Our team provides food, clothing and support, but more than anything we offer the one thing that’s too often withheld: dignity,” Greyeyes post reads.

“We respond to overdose after overdose, each one a tragic reminder of the lives on the edge.”

She said the last three weeks have been “brutal” with unprecedented numbers of overdoses, some fatal.

“Just recently we found ourselves responding to six overdoses at once, a harrowing moment that left us drained and broken, but still standing. It’s not just the physical toll; it’s the emotional weight of watching lives slip away,” Greyeyes said.