More than 600 individuals, organizations send letter calling on Ontario to reverse needle distribution ban

More than 600 individuals and organizations from across Ontario have signed a letter calling on the province to allow the distribution of syringes at Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hubs, saying prohibiting them will put more people at risk of HIV and hepatitis C transmission.

The letter was sent Wednesday to Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones and Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Kieran Moore, and included signatures from health centres, advocacy groups and research organizations. 

Sandra Ka Hon Chu, co-executive director of the HIV Legal Network, said the letter was put together because the decision to prohibit sterile needle distribution is a "huge detriment" to people who use drugs across Ontario.

"The consumption treatment services that have transitioned into HART Hubs were previously one of the biggest distributors of needle and syringe programs in the province, so prohibiting them from distributing the supplies would have huge implications for people who use drugs," she told CBC Toronto on Wednesday.

The HART Hubs, which prioritize treatment, recovery, and getting people into housing, were announced after the province passed legislation last year banning supervised consumption sites within 200 metres of schools and daycares.

The legislation, which is being challenged in court, also introduced restrictions on needle and syringe distribution at HART Hubs. Nine hubs were opened in Ontario in April.

The letter sent to the government pointed out needle and syringe programs have been recommended by international health organizations, including the World Health Organization, as essential elements of effective HIV and hepatitis C prevention strategies for decades.

"We have so much evidence about the impacts of these services. We have the Ontario government's own guidance that says we should distribute these [needle and syringe kits] to prevent transmission of HIV and Hepatitis C, so the Ontario government, on one hand, is saying this, but on the other hand is saying we can't do it at these HART Hubs, so I think there's a bit of confusion," said Chu.

Ontario's Substance Use Prevention and Harm Reduction Guideline, released by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care in 2018, says: "The distribution of needles/syringes and other drug use supplies has proven to be an effective method in reducing blood-borne infections associated with injection drug use, such as HIV and hepatitis C."

The guide also recommends reducing the sharing and re-use of needles, syringes, and other supplies.

Province says its focus is to offer treatment

In a statement to CBC Toronto on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Minister of Health said the government is building a system of care focused on connecting people to treatment, support and recovery by investing $550 million to build 28 new HART Hubs across the province.

"Our government's focus is on offering people struggling with mental health and addiction challenges a pathway to treatment, not giving them tools to use illicit drugs," spokesperson Ema Popovic said.

The Ontario government didn't answer when asked if it is considering reversing the policy decision after receiving calls from the community. 

'This is supported by evidence'

Breakaway Community Services, a multi-functional substance use support and treatment agency that provides community-based and outreach programs in Toronto, is one of the more than 600 organizations that have signed the letter. 

One registered nurse at the agency said the letter could show there are a lot of people in the community who care about drug safety.

"I think 600 is only a small drop of rain in an ocean of people who know that this is good medicine, that this is supported by evidence, by science, by people who use drugs, by people who support people who use drugs,"  Melody Alderton-Ballik said Wednesday.

"This letter is only one shade of what could possibly prevent the undoing of decades of work, decades of advocacy."

WATCH | Critics warn supervised consumption site closures will cost lives: 

Critics call Ontario's ban of supervised drug consumption sites near schools 'a death sentence'

11 months ago

Duration 2:18

The province's new rules will force more than half of the supervised injection sites in Ontario to either transition into treatment centres or close down — a move that Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario CEO Doris Grinspun calls 'a death sentence for people that use substances.'

The executive director at Breakaway Community Services said on Wednesday that the consumption treatment services need to continue because it's a safe way for people to use drugs. 

"There's so much research that shows that not providing supplies is not going to stop people from using substances. They'll just use needles that have been used before," said Nicola Bangham. "And that will cause far more harm."

More than 21,000 overdoses have been reversed at supervised consumption sites across the province between March 2020 and January 2024, based on data from Health Canada.