Supervised drug consumption site in Saskatoon closes its doors for good

SASKATOON – A harm reduction organization in Saskatoon is shutting down completely, with the board’s vice-chair saying he expects the closure to create a void in services for those battling addictions.

“I don’t know that there’s another organization in Saskatoon that’s equipped fully to be able to absorb what (Prairie Harm Reduction) provided,” Brady Knight told reporters Thursday. 

“It’s, I think, a situation where there’s a whole lot of uncertainty for people whose lives are marked by uncertainty.”

Knight said the organization will no longer operate its drop-in centre, two youth homes and other support services. 

Its supervised drug consumption site – which was Saskatoon’s only such facility – is to also remain closed after being shuttered last month.

The organization served Saskatoon for nearly 40 years, including under its previous name, AIDS Saskatoon. 

Prairie Harm Reduction recently found itself with a major deficit, and Knight said it became clear there was no viable path forward.

He declined to reveal the deficit’s amount but said it’s in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. 

A forensic audit would be required to identify the cause, but the organization doesn’t have the money to pay for one, he added.

“This decision was not made lightly,” Knight said. “There’s, generally speaking, a constellation of events here that led to (the closure).”

Knight said Prairie Harm Reduction saw a spike in demand for its services, with staff dealing with more drug overdoses and helping people find housing.

He said the organization’s finances were reportedly OK up until last month, when the former executive director informed the board of a problem.

The executive director was later fired, although the organization has said it believes there was no wrongdoing.

Knight said Thursday that reasons for the firing are confidential and the board stands by the decision. 

“As for exactly how it got here, that hasn’t been the focus of the board over these last few weeks. We’ve been focused on how we could, in any possible way, save this organization,” he said. “I think there’s still quite a few questions that we also want some answers to.

“The bottom line is that the revenues that we were bringing in were far insufficient to cover the expenditures we had going out.”

Knight said about 70 full-time and part-time staff, along with more than 50 causal workers, were told they’ll be out of work.

Late last month, the province cancelled all funding to the organization, citing governance issues.  

The province had paid $2.5 million annually for the organization to do outreach, distribute naloxone and operate youth homes. The government also provided a drug-testing device that will now to be used elsewhere. 

The government never funded the supervised consumption site. Knight said the facility was paid for by donors and fundraising. 

The Social Services Ministry said in a statement there won’t be disruptions to youth using Prairie Harm Reduction’s housing services and that they will be transitioned to other operators for care.

The Health Ministry said the Saskatchewan Health Authority and other community organizations would continue to distribute naloxone.

Knight said he has spoken with other groups about service gaps that would need to be filled. Prairie Harm Reduction helped hundreds of people every day at its drop-in centre, he said. 

“I think we were a very unique service provider, and I think it’s going to take a collective community effort,” Knight said.

“We sincerely hope that one day a new organization will emerge to pick up where (Prairie Harm Reduction) left off.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 9, 2026.

— By Jeremy Simes in Regina