New program makes addiction services available at any construction site in Calgary

The City of Calgary is funding a new program to help the local construction industry battle addiction and substance use.

It's given $283,000 to the Calgary Construction Association to make addiction services available at any job site in the city. 

The program, called Tailgate Toolkit, was developed on Vancouver Island before expanding across British Columbia.

It started after a B.C. Coroners Service report on illicit drug overdose deaths in 2018 found that 55 per cent of the victims who were employed at the time of their death worked in the construction, trades and transportation sector.

Tailgate Toolkit was created with the aim of spreading awareness, promoting help-seeking and reducing the stigma surrounding substance use in the trades, says Rory Kumala, CEO of the Vancouver Island Construction Association. 

The program provides industry-focused help. It holds meetings at job sites through "tailgate talks" and trains supervisors to recognize when workers need help and react accordingly.

Tailgate Toolkit also hosts industry-based support groups. According to Kumala, this fosters an inviting and familiar environment in hopes of helping encourage attendees.

"The lingo is the same, the language, the culture is presented through the facilitator that says, 'look, I've been in the business, I know what's going on,'" said Kumala.

Members of the construction industry turn to opioids in times of physical and mental pain, says Bill Black, president and CEO of the Calgary Construction Association.

"Our industry loses one in four to one in five of our workers every year to opioid-related deaths," said Black.

Many industry jobs require intense labour and relocation from family, leaving those affected alone and vulnerable, he added.

"According to the Health Canada Opioid and Stimulant Related Harms report, trades, transport and equipment operators accounted for 53 per cent of drug overdose deaths amongst employed individuals," said Black.