Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Health Minister Sylvia Jones are standing firm on closing supervised drug consumption sites, despite pushback from health advocates and six former Toronto mayors.
The province notified seven sites they would lose funding, with closures set for mid-June. Ford cited public safety, claiming needles are littering parks and endangering children.
“We’re not going to reverse,” Jones said, emphasizing a shift to abstinence-based HART hubs for addiction recovery. The province has launched 28 new hubs, all but one now operational.
Critics argue the closures will increase deaths. Data show an 82% rise in non-fatal opioid overdoses since earlier shutdowns. In 2024, over 2,200 Ontarians died from opioids, mostly involving fentanyl.
Former mayors David Crombie, Art Eggleton, Barbara Hall, David Miller, John Sewell, and John Tory warned the move increases harm without offsetting benefits. Mayor Olivia Chow urged evidence-based policy and better federal-provincial coordination.
NDP Leader Marit Stiles criticized the lack of empathy and replacement services. Liberals support harm reduction if tied to clinics or hospitals.