New Ford government addiction hubs will open before supervised consumption sites close

Ontario is planning a rapid application and approval process for its new HART hubs, but some worry the locations can't make up for closing supervised injection sites.

Nineteen new addiction treatment hubs will be operational in Ontario before 10 supervised consumption sites are forced to close their doors in March, the Ford government is promising.

In a surprise announcement last week, Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones unveiled almost $380 million in funding for addiction recovery hubs, while ordering the majority of supervised drug consumption sites in the province to close their doors.

The government also unveiled plans to stop other supervised drug injection sites from opening in Ontario, going against its own expert advice but citing rising crime and complaints from neighbours.

The move has been touted by Ontario Premier Doug Ford as a swing to focus on tackling addiction itself instead of preventing fatal overdoses through either the supply of safe drugs or spaces where overdoses can be quickly reversed.

“That doesn’t work — I know, I’ve dealt with it within our family, I’ve dealt with it within our community,” Ford said of supervised consumption sites at an unrelated event on Monday.

“What works is rehab, detox beds, supporting these people with good-paying jobs, housing is absolutely critical and there’s a whole row of things, not just ignoring it. That’s my personal opinion — and we’re putting our money where our mouth is.”

The government has committed a total of $378 million over four years to fund 19 so-called HART Hubs, which will operate as intensive and coordinated addiction recovery spaces. The government says that money will include start-up costs for the current year and also cover operating costs like salaries, leases or utilities.

The $378 million should result in 375 “highly supportive” housing units as part of the hub model, a government spokesperson told Global News. Details of how the call for proposals for local groups to run the locations will work are set to come “later this month” with plans to begin operating the sites sometime between December 2024 and March 2025.