Saskatoon’s police chief will meet with deputy ministers to discuss the city’s safe consumption site and strategies on how to address issues surrounding drugs in the city and across the province. This comes after a request from the Board of Police Commissioners to the province, to help fund officers for the new site, was rejected.

Minister of Corrections and Policing, Christine Tell wrote in her letter that the City is primarily responsible for funding policing at the new site. Tell also added that the province gave Saskatoon Police $4.9 million dollars this year in municipal police grants.

Chief Cooper noted that the Minister sees the safe consumption site as being a local matter and not a provincial one, although he says the discussions with the deputy ministers will look at ways to address the drug crisis in Saskatchewan.

Mayor Charlie Clark, who sits on the Board of Police Commissioners and wasn’t present for Thursday’s meeting, submitted a letter stating that he recommended the board reach out to Minister Tell and arrange a meeting.

During November’s budget deliberations, City Councillors went ahead with approving funding for eight additional officers to patrol the safe consumption site. The officers were something the SPS had requested prior to budget talks. The eight new officers are expected to cost $1.6 million dollars over the next two years.