Open Drug Use Sparks Tension in Nova Scotia Towns as Possession Charges Plummet
Drug possession cases in Nova Scotia have fallen 92 per cent since 2015 following federal policy shifts, but open drug use in public spaces is fueling frustration among residents. Police leaders and experts advocate for crisis intervention over criminalization, echoing similar debates across Canada.
Drug possession cases in Nova Scotia have dropped 92 per cent, falling from 564 in 2015 to 45 last year. Nationally, possession cases declined 77 per cent over the same period. The shift follows a 2020 directive from the Public Prosecution Service of Canada instructing lawyers to stop prosecuting simple drug possession cases, citing substance use as a health issue. Additionally, the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act was amended to require police to consider alternatives to charging individuals for possession.
The decline in prosecutions has coincided with growing concern over open drug use in public spaces. In Sydney, N.S., resident Deanna Kong reports finding dirty needles in Wentworth Park, sometimes more than a dozen in a single day, often near children's play areas. Billy Quirk started a petition to move a shelter away from downtown Sydney after witnessing open drug use; the petition collected more than 1,100 signatures.
Police officials and experts argue that criminalization is not an effective response to what they describe as a health crisis. New Glasgow Police Chief Ryan Leil states that policing alone cannot solve a health crisis and emphasizes focusing on root causes. To address this, social worker Carly MacCuspic works with New Glasgow Police as part of a crisis intervention team, providing mental-health support rather than making arrests. Seventy per cent of New Glasgow police officers have received crisis intervention training.
Similar tensions between public safety concerns and decriminalization policies are playing out in other Canadian cities. Winnipeg police are working closely with outreach teams to tackle open drug use following a controversial crackdown in June and July. This fall, residents in Windsor, Ont., and London, Ont., were frustrated by open drug use, leading officers to make arrests despite likely non-prosecution.
In British Columbia, a three-year pilot project allowing possession of 2½ grams of hard drugs was discontinued by the provincial government earlier this year. Victoria Police Chief Constable Fiona Wilson stated that police lost faith in the BC decriminalization pilot because they lacked lawful authority to address open drug use in front of children.