Closure of 10 supervised drug consumption sites could have dire consequences, advocates say

The province's decision to close 10 sites offering consumption and treatment services (CTS) across Ontario will have "dire consequences," according to harm reduction advocates and health officials in Barrie.

On Tuesday, the Ontario government announced that the CTS sites, nine of which are provincially funded, were banned from operating as they were within 200 metres of a school or child care centre.

The government will also introduce legislation this fall that would prohibit municipalities or any organization from creating new consumption sites or participating in federal safe supply initiatives if passed. It would also prohibit municipalities from requesting the drug decriminalization status from the federal government.

"Today's announcement by the provincial government will deliver safer streets for the residents of Ontario through increased funding for mental health and addiction supports as well as preventing injection sites from being located next to daycare centres and schools," said Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall. "I commend the provincial government for taking these necessary steps to protect our children and residents."

In the wake of CTS sites, 19 new Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hubs will be established.

According to the province, these new hubs won't be too dissimilar from existing treatment centres in Ontario.

HART Hubs will add up to 375 highly supportive housing units in addition to addiction recovery and treatment beds. They will not include safe supply, supervised drug consumption or needle exchange programs.

The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) of Simcoe County said it's "saddened" by the province's decision.

"Evidence shows that harm reduction, in its various forms, is crucial for helping individuals stay alive and is an essential part of a comprehensive continuum of care that includes bed-based treatment, addiction counselling, peer support, housing, and other wraparound services," said Jennifer Fillingham, interim CMHA Simcoe County CEO. "We sincerely hope the province will consider integrating harm reduction strategies within the new hub models they are proposing. From our understanding, the development of these hub applications will be driven by individual communities determining their specific needs, which we strongly support given the urgent and extreme needs in many areas."

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According to CMHA, opioid toxicity mortality rates in Ontario are now 64 per cent higher than pre-pandemic levels in 2019, and a person dies of an overdose every 2.5 hours.

Officials with the Gilbert Centre in Barrie, a non-profit support services agency, said the ban on CTS sites would lead to more deaths than lives saved and isn't necessary for the province to do.

"It really pits one against the other in ways that really is not going to support anybody," said Sarah Tilley, harm reduction manager at the Gilbert Centre. "These measures don't seem to take safety into consideration, whether that's the safety of people who are using drugs and how that's going to lead to preventable deaths, the safety of kids whose parents use drugs and need these services, or the community who is going to be impacted by people having to use publicly because there aren't spaces for them to go."

The province said violent crime and even homicides are up significantly in the vicinity of several supervised consumption sites.

Ontario's deputy premier and health minister, Sylvia Jones, also told reporters that the province is "considering all options" when asked about involuntary treatment after previously suggesting it would have unintended consequences.