Ontario says it's defunding drug consumption sites to make communities 'safer'
· Toronto Sun
Ontario’s decision to defund supervised drug consumption sites will save lives, Premier Doug Ford insisted, but critics said the move will have the opposite effect.
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Queen’s Park confirmed the news Monday morning with a statement from the office of Health Minister Sylvia Jones attributing the decision to local concerns regarding public safety and a desire to invest the money instead in treatment and lasting recovery.
“Our government is focused on treatment, recovery and safe r communities,” Jones said.
“Through our almost $550-million investment to establish HART (homelessness and addiction recovery treatment) hubs across the province, we are ensuring people struggling with addiction can access the care and supports they need to break the tragic cycle of addiction and rebuild their lives while protecting Ontario communities.”
Seven sites expected to close
That $550 million funds 28 HART hubs across the province , which the province said will add “close to 900 supportive housing units” meant to help the homeless find a place to live and transition to long-term housing.
Ontario will begin a 90-day wind-down period to offer time for clients to transition to HART hub supports.
Sites set for closure are the Fred Victor Centre and Moss Park Consumption and Treatment Services in Toronto, Ottawa Inner City Health and Sandy Hill Health Centre in Ottawa, Carepoint Consumption and Treatment Centre in London, Lakelands Public Health in Peterborough and the Niagara Region Safe Consumption Site.
New rules introduced last year banning safe consumption sites from within 200 metres of a school or daycare saw the closure of a number of consumption sites across Ontario — with Toronto’s Parkdale Queen West , Regent Park and the city-run The Works sites all closing their doors.
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‘No community’ wants consumption sites: Premier
Advocates and community groups say the move will have fatal consequences for those dealing with addiction, but Premier Doug Ford said there’s no truth to that.
“A study came out from the University of Alberta; actually it doesn’t cause more problems, it helps people,” Ford said during a Monday morning news conference in Brockville, where he said that city’s HART hub has seen between 12,000 and 13,000 visits.
“The only difference is we aren’t encouraging handing out needles and drugs and there’s no community that wants it. We’re putting an investment of over $550 million in HART hubs that are going to help people get proper shelter, get them the support they need, get them employment they need.”
Decision will make drug crisis worse: NDP
Ontario NDP health critic Robin Lennox called the move deadly and irresponsible.
“Cutting off funding for supervised consumption sites will make our communities less safe,” she said.
“These sites provide a safe and monitored space for people using substances. Removing them means we will see more drug use and overdoses occurring in public spaces, including parking lots, restaurant bathrooms, libraries or public transit.”
Closing the sites won’t make Ontario’s drug crisis go away, she said, and will only make it worse.
“Family members, friends and co-workers are grieving while the premier and the minister of health dismantle services proven to save lives,” she said.