City continues to work toward solutions after death at Camp Marjorie
As Camp Marjorie mourns the death of one of its residents, Regina’s city services are still working to find permanent solutions for those experiencing homelessness.
On Tuesday morning around 10 a.m. during wellness checks by volunteers, one of the residents was found in medical distress. Camp volunteers told CTV News that life-saving measures like CPR were unsuccessful.
“Residents as well as volunteers are visibly shaken,” Shylo Stevenson, communications officer for Regina Needle Recovery and Community Support said. “We have activated a critical incident stress management debrief right away to make sure our volunteers' mental health as well as our residents are looked after.”
Volunteers believe the resident died of a suspected overdose.
“This is the importance of utilizing the drug testing kits at the Friendship Centre and the importance of not using alone, so we’re not experiencing situations like this,” Stevenson said.
The Regina Police Service (RPS), Social Services, Regina Fire and EMS were all on the scene. Stevenson said the investigation into the death of the resident has been turned over to the police and the Coroner.
Officers say they conduct several safety checks daily at Camp Marjorie and continue to work with city services like Regina fire and emergency services to find solutions for those experiencing homelessness and substance use disorders.
RPS says the first step towards success is bringing struggling community members in from the cold.
“That would allow us to do some assessments because it’s very personal for the people there, they all have different needs,” Chief Evan Bray of the Regina Police Service said. “If we understand what needs they have we can understand what services ad supports we need to connect them to for long-term success."
Regina Mayor Sandra Masters expressed her sadness over the loss of life. She said Camp Marjorie has identified a disconnect in the city between those experiencing homelessness and affordable housing supports.
“The city is looking at ways we can collaborate with the government in terms of finding people housing,” she said.
SOCIAL MEDIA ALERTS
Regina Needle Recovery and Community Support took to social media over the weekend to warn the community of a batch of fentanyl that it said had been the cause of overdoses recently.
Camp Marjorie has issued similar warnings, like a Tweet last week saying there had been five overdoses in Regina within a day.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. tenants evicted for landlord's use after refusing large rent increase to take over neighbouring suite
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
Expert warns of food consumption habits amid rising prices
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
Ex-tabloid publisher testifies he scooped up possibly damaging tales to shield his old friend Trump
As Donald Trump was running for president in 2016, his old friend at the National Enquirer was scooping up potentially damaging stories about the candidate and paying out tens of thousands of dollars to keep them from the public eye.
Here's why provinces aren't following Saskatchewan's lead on the carbon tax home heating fight
After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government would still send Canada Carbon Rebate cheques to Saskatchewan residents, despite Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe's decision to stop collecting the carbon tax on natural gas or home heating, questions were raised about whether other provinces would follow suit. CTV News reached out across the country and here's what we found out.
Montreal actress calls Weinstein ruling 'discouraging' but not surprising
A Montreal actress, who has previously detailed incidents she had with disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, says a New York Court of Appeals decision overturning his 2020 rape conviction is 'discouraging' but not surprising.
Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye make it four NFL drafts with quarterbacks going 1-3
Caleb Williams is heading to the Windy City, aiming to become the franchise quarterback Chicago has sought for decades.