REGINA – During next week’s executive committee meeting, Regina city council will discuss the Emergency Treatment Fund (ETF).
The ETF, which is a $150 million investment over three years from the federal government announced in Oct 2024., aims to help “municipalities and Indigenous communities provide rapid responses to emergent, critical needs related to the substance use and overdose crisis,” according to the federal government’s website.
In Jan., Health Canada informed the City of Regina that they were one of 60 successful applicants for the ETR grant program.
A motion will be laid out to city council on Wednesday, which aims to seek approval to “enter into agreement with Health Canada to disperse funding through an expression of interest (grant program),” as stated in said motion.
The motion mentions non-profit organizations in Regina will be eligible to apply for funding for certain resources. These include peer outreach and training, safe supplies, and vehicles. All of these resources have been identified by local community organizations as critical needs.
The potential funding would be broken down into two years. For 2024-2025, the city would receive over $436,920. In 2025-2026, the city could then receive $230,880 for a total of $667,800.
Between those two years, the local ETF program would “address two urgent, community-identified needs to improve addiction responses in Regina: direct transportation and peer-based outreach.”
City administration stated the first phase of the program, which would provide transportation funding and safe supplies funding for different community outreach programs, would be completed by March 31, 2025.
The second phase would focus on “additional funding for safe supplies and funding for the pilot of peer outreach programming and training development for individuals who are in recovery and seeking low-barrier employment.” The second phase would be completed between April 1, 2025 and March 31, 2026.
The nearly $700,000 would support three full-time peer worker positions and related training costs, eight new vehicles, safe supplies and the implementation of a train-the-trainer guide/program for peer outreach.
If approved at Wednesday’s executive committee meeting, the motion will be tabled for city council on March 5th for a final decision.
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