Oshawa mayor 'disappointed' Ontario budget left out addictions, mental health emergency ward for city
City doesn't have resources or capacity to provide enough support, mayor says
Oshawa Mayor Dan Carter has called on Premier Doug Ford to fund a mental health and addictions emergency ward at the city's Lakeridge Health hospital, saying he was disappointed it was left out of Ontario budget after telling the premier about the urgent need for the project.
Carter, who said he is a recovering drug and alcohol addict, said the city does not have the resources or capacity to meet what he called a public health crisis.
"I know as an addict… if you say, 'I got a bed for you, we're going to help you, I'm going to get you medicated,' I'm all in," Carter said Friday.
"If you tell me to come back Tuesday because I'll have a bed and medication then, you'll never see me again."
The city is asking Ontario for $40 million to fund the project, according to a news release Friday. Carter said he first met with Ford 15 months ago at the premier's house to discuss the proposal, and reiterated the importance of the project with local MPPs and Minister of Health Sylvia Jones at Queen's Park two weeks ago.
"We've made our case the best possible way we can. All we need is the allocation of funds and unfortunately I was disappointed," Carter said at a news conference on Friday.
The mayor addressed Ford directly during the conference, saying the ward will save lives by connecting people with the care they need at the right time.
"What happens is many of the patients end up walking out and we miss that opportunity to get them the proper care," he said.
"It has to be a system that cares for individuals from the time that they're [vital signs absent] on the street all the way through to recovery."
As part of the 2025 budget, Ontario is increasing funding for community-based mental health and addictions services across the province by 4 per cent, Ministry of Health spokesperson Ema Popovic said in an email on Friday.
The funding "is a clear signal that support isn't just coming, it's already here," she said.
She said the province announced funding in August to support the redevelopment of Lakeridge Health by adding 300 beds across the hospital network, which also has locations in Bowmanville, Whitby, Ajax-Pickering and Port Perry.
Project supported by finance minister, mayor says
Carter said he supports the province's Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hubs, which provide access to recovery and treatment systems for people struggling with addictions and mental health issues.
The government is spending $550 million to create a total of 28 HART hubs across the province, including two in Oshawa, according to a news release from March. Oshawa is one of the only cities to receive multiple hubs, Popovic said.
But Carter said the HART Hubs focus on recovery, while the proposed ward would quickly connect people with trained professionals in a calm environment.
Last year, emergency crews responded to over 350 overdoses in Oshawa, Carter said. He said the number of overdoses have been declining, but "people are still dying on our streets because of drug toxicity."
"If it's six people or 60 people, I find that unacceptable," he said.
Carter says he doesn't know why the emergency ward project was excluded from the budget, which was tabled on Thursday. He says it has been endorsed by local MPPs, including Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy.
He said Oshawa spends roughly $3.5 million annually on various addictions support programs. Among the city's initiatives, he said they created a rapid response unit with 20 specially trained firefighters to respond to overdoses.
Oshawa is one of eight lower-tier municipalities within Durham region — meaning it has its own city council but is also a member of the Durham Regional Council. The region, not the municipality, is responsible for social services, shelters, housing, public health and policing, the city's news release said.
Carter said Oshawa has been advocating up to the regional council and the province for resources on mental health and addictions support for over five years.
"We are on the frontlines and the other levels of governments are not on the frontlines," he said.
Coun. Brian Nicholson, who represents Ward 5 in Oshawa, said he's received complaints from his constituents about people using drugs on streets in the neighbourhood, including in front of school yards.
City council voted 6 to 5 against opening a supervised consumption site in Oshawa in March 2019, according to coverage from other news outlets at the time. Nicholson said he voted for the site.
"We've rejected a single site safe injunction site with security," he said. "Now we have hundreds of unsafe injunction sites across the city."
"What solution have we done?"
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With files from Naama Weingarten