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He said it’s “hypocritical” of Kenney to say his government is relying on “evidence-based decision making” in regards to the opioid epidemic when the report was “unscientific and deeply flawed.”
“There are global consequences to having a report that feeds a particular conservative narrative and is being used as evidence, not only inside Alberta but outside Alberta, to prevent evidence-based harm reduction approaches for curtailing the growing overdose deaths globally,” said Livingston.
In his article, Livingston writes that the supervised consumption site report, despite claiming to have measured crime, assessed two indirect indicators of crime: police service calls and public perceptions of crime.
Not only was the data improperly presented, he said, but there failed to be an adequate analysis of the findings.
“This is a politically heated topic, which requires a lot more care and caution when implementing surveys of perceptions,” said Livingston. “The measures were haphazard.”
The government must invest in additional harm reduction services, like safe supply programs and decriminalize drugs, to limit overdose deaths, he said. Emphasizing detox, treatment and recovery, as the UCP has done, will fail to impact growing numbers, he added.
“It makes no sense to do the same thing over and over.”
alsmith@postmedia.com
Twitter: @alanna_smithh
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