Ontario tables bill to ban some supervised consumption sites

Ontario tabled a bill Monday that aims to shutter 10 supervised consumption sites the government deems too close to schools and daycares.

The bill, if passed by Premier Doug Ford's majority Progressive Conservative government, would also require municipalities to get the health minister's approval to apply for an exemption from the federal government to launch new supervised consumption sites.

Health Minister Sylvia Jones said there is no situation in which she would approve a new one anywhere in the province.

"I want to be very clear, there will be no further safe injection sites in the province of Ontario under our government," Jones said at a news conference about the bill.

Previously, municipalities could apply directly to the federal government for consumption site approval and the province would be out of the loop.

Ontario is shifting away from harm reduction to an abstinence-based model and it intends to launch 19 new "homelessness and addiction recovery treatment hubs" — or HART hubs, as the province calls them — plus 375 highly supportive housing units at a planned cost of $378 million.

They are set to be operational by the end of March, which is when the 10 supervised consumption sites will close. The operation of those sites will not be extended even if the new hubs are not ready, Jones said.

The government deadline to apply for one of the newly minted homeless hubs passed in mid-October, and Jones said officials are now evaluating the applications.

"In a year from now, you will see HART hubs operationalized in the province of Ontario, 19 demonstration sites in total," Jones said.

"We will be able to assess the efficacy, the ability for those HART models to actually provide the services out of addiction and into treatment pathways."

The province will make it illegal to operate a consumption site within 200 metres of a school or daycare. In total, 17 consumption and treatment services sites across Ontario are funded by the province. Seven are allowed to remain open, but one site in downtown Toronto is likely to close this spring as the lease on its space is expiring as the building will be redeveloped.

Advocates say closures to lead to more deaths

Health-care workers, advocates and homeless people have all said consumption site closures would lead to more deaths. In August, Jones disagreed, saying no one will die as a result of the closures.

On Monday at Queen's Park, harm reduction advocates again voiced their anger over the pending closures.

"We will see an overrepresentation of Indigenous people paying the price," said Mskwaasin Agnew, a member of Toronto Indigenous Harm Reduction.

Agnew said Ontario's Ministry of Health has asked non-Indigenous community health centres to include "culturally informed" care of Indigenous people in their HART hubs, but there has been no consultation with Indigenous communities about the hubs and the care they will provide.

"Harm reduction is sacred and it is an integral part of the health and well-being of many Indigenous people's lives. We remind this government of the promises made to First Nations people of this country. I demand that you follow through with your responsibilities," Agnew said.

Zoe Dodd, a member of the Toronto Overdose Prevention Society, said she has seen plenty of death in her life.

"We have seen people dead outside, overdosing in bathrooms, overdosing on the street and that is exactly what's going to happen when these sites close," Dodd said.

Dodd said the government knows that people will die as a result of these closures. She said supervised consumption sites save lives.

"Every municipality in this province better get an emergency plan in place because people are going to be overdosing and dying outside," Dodd added.

"There will be no funding for overdose prevention. There will be no funding for the the sweeps outside for needle pickup. That will all be gone with this funding. And I don't think people who are against supervised consumption sites, saying they're worried about the safety of their children, have really thought about what it's going to look like when people are outside using in parks."

Thursday's bill would also require municipalities to get provincial approval to participate in the federal safer supply program that sees doctors prescribe pharmaceutical grade opioids to those with substance-use disorders.

The measures are part of a community safety omnibus bill that would also implement several other recent announcements.

The legislation would significantly increase penalties for those convicted of using a fake vehicle identification number, as well as ban name changes for those on the provincial sex offender registry.

Four provincially funded consumption sites that will close in Toronto are as follows:

• Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre – 168 Bathurst St.
• Regent Park Community Health Centre – 465 Dundas St. E.
• South Riverdale Community Health Centre – 955 Queen St. E.
• Toronto Public Health – 277 Victoria St.

A fifth supervised consumption site that is self-funded will also close: 

• Kensington Market Overdose Prevention Site – 260 Augusta Ave.