Dead people don’t recover. That, from an addictions advocate who lost her son to a fentanyl overdose when he ingested what he thought was half an oxycontin. Her eldest son is recovering from an opiate addiction.

Marie Agioritis says the mental health and addictions system in Saskatchewan is loaded with gaps. She believes it’s underfunded and uses archaic models of care. Agioritis commends the Saskatchewan NDP on its pledge to tackle the issue with $10-million in funding.

Leader Ryan Meili has announced $7.8-million for dedicated mental health emergency rooms in Saskatoon, Regina, Prince Albert and Moose Jaw. He points to long wait times to be admitted for care, and gives the example of an average 18 hour wait in the ER before getting a bed in Saskatoon’s Dube Centre for Mental Health.

He adds that an NDP government would also commit $2-million to develop and implement a strategy to tackle the opioid and crystal meth crisis, and would introduce a legislated suicide prevention strategy.