Saskatchewan passes involuntary addiction treatment law

Saskatchewan has passed a law allowing involuntary addiction treatment in severe cases, with implementation expected after regulations are completed.

Saskatchewan has passed a law allowing some people with severe addictions to be compelled into treatment, a major policy shift that the province says could begin operating as early as this fall once regulations are in place.

The Sask. Party government passed the Compassionate Intervention Act on Tuesday. The law is not yet in force; Addictions Minister Lori Carr said the province still has to finalize regulations, create the decision-making board, recruit professionals and community representatives, and set up assessment centres.

Under the plan, people could be brought to an assessment centre by police or a peace officer, referred by a prescribed medical professional, or assessed through a judge’s warrant requested by family members. The first assessment centre is planned for North Battleford, and those ordered into inpatient treatment would be sent to Saskatchewan Hospital, a psychiatric facility in that city.

Carr said the government hopes involuntary treatment can begin within the year and that people assessed under the process will have legal representation at every stage.

The measure has drawn opposition from the Saskatchewan NDP and warnings from physician regulators and advocacy groups, who argue the system is not prepared and that forced treatment may carry serious medical and legal risks.

The Saskatchewan Medical Association and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan said in a joint statement in April that involuntary addiction treatment “is not supported by clinical evidence and may increase the risk of overdose following release from detention.” They said voluntary, evidence-based and culturally safe services should remain the foundation of the province’s response.

NDP Leader Carla Beck said during question period that her party did not object to intervention in the most severe cases, but opposed the bill because it did not do enough on prevention and voluntary treatment across the broader spectrum of addiction needs.

The John Howard Society of Saskatchewan also warned that detaining people who have not committed a crime could raise Charter rights concerns, and said people released from detention may face elevated overdose risk because of lowered tolerance.

The government says assessment centres are eventually expected across the province, feeding into the involuntary inpatient unit at Saskatchewan Hospital. For now, the next test is regulatory: the act is expected to come into force this fall only after the province finalizes the rules that will determine how the new system operates.