Larissa Kurz
Regina Leader-Post
Advocates are calling for the City of Regina to reject the Safe Public Spaces bylaw out of fear that prohibiting items like needles as potential weapons could put vulnerable people at further risk.
Those concerns were voiced at a recent town hall meeting organized by members of the community and attended by about 50 people — held in advance of the provincial legislation’s expected proposal at city council on Sept. 24.
Organizers issued a call to mobilize in opposition of the new law due to concerns that it will only serve to criminalize vulnerable people who are unhoused or navigating addictions.
“This could further exacerbate the housing and addictions crisis we’re seeing and the carceral crisis, with many people — especially marginalized, impoverished and Indigenous people — being further policed,” said Mandla Mthembu, organizer and moderator.
Regina’s Board of Police Commissioners advised the Regina Leader-Post that it will be delivering a report to council on Sept. 24, requesting that the city draft the necessary bylaw to opt in.
The board did not immediately respond to a request for further comment on why it is recommending that Regina activate the act.
Province says act meant to increase public safety
The Safe Public Spaces Act, which came into effect Aug. 1, was introduced by the Saskatchewan government as a means to “promote public safety in urban spaces” by prohibiting the possession or transportation of street weapons in public spaces.
Among the items defined as “weapons” are things like knives, hammers, body armour, hypodermic needles, bear spray, fentanyl, methamphetamines and more.
People found with any of those items by police could face a charge that carries a fine of up to $5,000, jail time of up to a year, or both. The act also gives police the power to seize items regardless of whether charges are laid.
Tim McLeod, Saskatchewan’s minister of justice and attorney general, said the new legislation is meant to give police more tools to deal with public safety risks and dangerous street drugs.
“The government is committed to increased public safety measures to ensure all Saskatchewan citizens feel safe and protected in their communities,” McLeod said in a July statement announcing the legislation.
Municipalities and First Nations have to choose whether to opt in by passing a bylaw that allows the act to apply in their jurisdictions. Saskatoon, Moose Jaw and Yorkton have all done so in the last several weeks.
Advocates say it creates fear
Joseph Reynolds, a Sixties Scoop survivor who has lived with addiction and houselessness, says his biggest concern is adding a new layer of fear for people on the street who have no choice but to be in public spaces like parks, buses or sidewalks.
“I think it will further traumatize people,” Reynolds said at Thursday’s town hall. “It will only demonize, demoralize, dehumanize people, and it’s going to make people hide.”
Reynolds worried it could lead to more cases of racial profiling, discrimination, stop-and-frisk police action, and people being filtered into the prison system instead of into treatment or supportive programming.
“It’s already hard enough to survive,” he said. “This is just going to stop people from going to the library, or other places, because they’re going to feel uncomfortable knowing that officers can arrest them and confiscate their goods.”
Harm reduction advocates agreed, saying their primary concern is that calling needles “weapons” will drive people away from safe use practices, thus increasing overdoses and transmission rates of blood-borne infections.
“We already have the highest rates of HIV, absurdly high rates of people dying due to drug toxicity,” Vidya Reddy, research specialist from AIDS South Saskatchewan, said during Thursday’s meeting. “This direction we’re headed in is dangerous.”
Most people carrying needles are not using them to harm others, continued Reddy. He added that this legislation “contradicts” the spirit of the federal Good Samaritan Act, which protects people reporting or experiencing an opioid overdose from possession charges when seeking emergency help.
“We’re only saying do not prevent people from accessing safe harm reduction supplies,” he said.
Peter Gilmer of the Regina Anti-Poverty Ministry said there’s also worry this could cause people to be removed from government income-assistance programs if charged, potentially adding to the houselessness crisis.
“I appreciate the slogan that’s been going around, that we need housing not handcuffs,” said Gilmer. “(But) nobody is safer under these circumstances.”
