Talk around the province’s first safe consumption site was front and center at the latest meeting of the Saskatoon Board of Police Commissioners.

A report from Inspector Cameron McBride included seven lessons learned after visiting four other safe consumption sites in Canada to see the role officers play when there’s a safe consumption site in the community.

Darlene Brander, Chair of the Board of Police Commissioners says those lessons included education and communication.

Brander says communication was listed to ensure there is good dialog between the police, the community and the safe consumption site. Education was listed so that members of the police service can learn and understand the role they play in harm reduction for those accessing the safe consumption site.

McBride’s report also recommended that the police service should consider increasing staffing to ensure a smooth start once the site opens. Mayor Charlie Clark also made a motion to seek provincial and federal funding to ensure there are additional resources in place once the site opens.

The safe consumption site has been approved by Health Canada and is expected to open sometime in early 2020.