PEERS Alliance vows to pursue harm reduction plans as drug overdose cases rise on P.E.I. [Video]

A Prince Edward Island non-profit organization is pivoting on plans to bring harm reduction resources to rural parts of the Island after pushback from some of the locations where it was looking to set up.

PEERS Alliance (the acronym stands for “prevent, educate, empower, respect, support”) had planned to make weekly stops at some community rinks and recreation centres across the Island, starting this spring.

The goal was to provide information to people using drugs — and the people concerned about them — as well as supply items such as naloxone to reverse overdoses and clean needles for safer drug use.

But that plan changed after some of the venues’ operators posted on social media suggesting the locations were unsuitable.  

“No one was contacted for dialogue and distributing injection/smoking equipment is undesired on this rink property at any time,” the Morell Credit Union Rink said on its Facebook page, noting …