Ontario supervised consumption site implores government not to shut them down
Global News
The Kensington Market Overdose Prevention Site was one of 10 such spaces ordered to close by the Ford government this week. Its leadership are begging the premier to reconsider.
Bill Sinclair was surprised and upset when he saw the name of the Toronto overdose prevention centre he runs included on a list of similar facilities in Ontario the government has ordered to close.
The Kensington Market Overdose Prevention Site, run by Neighbourhood Group Community Services in Toronto, is one of 10 sites across the province that will be forced to close before next April because they’re located close to either a school or a daycare centre.
“I was surprised about the entire announcement,” Sinclair, CEO of Neighbourhood Group Community Services, told Global News. “They didn’t talk to us in advance. They didn’t contact us before or since or after.”
The announcement came on Tuesday in Ottawa when Minister of Health Sylvia Jones took to the stage at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario’s annual conference. She unveiled almost $380 in funding for new addiction recovery facilities while ordering many of the province’s supervised drug consumption sites to close.
Nine publicly-funded facilities were on the list, along with the Kensington site, which is run by the local non-profit.
Jones also promised to stop municipalities or other entities from asking the federal government to greenlight supervised consumption sites, adding the province would also not approve more.
“The announcement has been quite clear that moving isn’t an option,” Sinclair said. “They will not approve any new sites anywhere, so they aren’t asking us to move. They’re only asking us to close.”
The government’s announcement was met with deep concern by many involved in overdose prevention, addiction and recovery.
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