Prince Albert Moves to Reclaim Municipal Costs Under New Illicit-Drugs Legislation

The provincial government enacted The Response to Illicit Drugs Act on June 1. The law gives municipalities and individuals new legal tools to seek reimbursement for expenses directly tied to the production, trafficking, importing or exporting of highly addictive drugs, while expressly excluding simple possession offences.

City to study recovering costs tied to illicit drugs

In late May, Prince Albert police announced the conclusion of a four-week investigation that uncovered a drug-trafficking network involving cocaine, methamphetamine, firearms and cash. The operation resulted in the seizure of the substances and the arrest of 10 people, with six subsequently charged. The city has also joined Health Canada’s National Wastewater Drug Surveillance Program, which will test for more than 550 illicit substances and help map local drug trends.

City to study recovering costs tied to illicit drugs

During a regular council meeting, Councillor Dawn Kilmer moved that administration examine whether the city can recover municipal expenses linked to illicit-drug production and trafficking under the new act. The motion directs staff to consult the Prince Albert Police Service, the city solicitor and other Saskatchewan municipalities, and to produce a report outlining:

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• Which categories of municipal costs may be eligible for recovery.

City to study recovering costs tied to illicit drugs

• How such costs could be documented and tracked.

City to study recovering costs tied to illicit drugs

• The staffing, legal, financial and resource implications of establishing a recovery process.

City to study recovering costs tied to illicit drugs

The council approved the motion without debate. No specific dollar amount was cited, and the motion does not reference any particular incident.

City to study recovering costs tied to illicit drugs

• The Response to Illicit Drugs Act – effective June 1.

City to study recovering costs tied to illicit drugs

• Recent police operation – 10 arrests, six charges, seizure of cocaine, methamphetamine, firearms and cash (source: Prince Albert Police Service press release).

City to study recovering costs tied to illicit drugs

• Wastewater surveillance – the city will monitor up to 550 substances as part of the Health Canada program.

City to study recovering costs tied to illicit drugs

The motion also notes that Prince Albert has received provincial and federal support for addiction-related services, including Health Canada’s Emergency Treatment Fund and the federal Substance Use and Addictions Program, as well as provincial budget allocations for mental-health and homelessness initiatives.

City to study recovering costs tied to illicit drugs

• “With this new act that is in place, there is a lot of possibilities for municipalities that we should explore,” — Coun. Dawn Kilmer

City to study recovering costs tied to illicit drugs

The motion does not identify a concrete cost figure or a specific case from which recovery would be pursued, leaving the potential financial impact uncertain. Additionally, while the city plans to use wastewater data to track drug prevalence, the effectiveness of this tool for quantifying municipal expenditures remains untested.

City to study recovering costs tied to illicit drugs

The council’s directive requires administration to prepare a detailed report on cost-recovery mechanisms. No deadline has been set for the study, and the city has not announced any immediate legal actions to reclaim funds. Future updates will depend on the report’s findings and any subsequent policy decisions by council.

City to study recovering costs tied to illicit drugs