Supervised injection services at Sandy Hill community centre suspended due to 'health and safety issue'

The Sandy Hill Community Health Centre says an unspecified "recent health and safety issue" has led to its supervised drug injection services being suspended until further notice.

The Sandy Hill Community Health Centre says an unspecified "recent health and safety issue" has led to its supervised drug injection services being suspended until further notice.

The community centre said on its website that it is investigating its next steps.

"The health and safety of our clients, staff members and neighbours has always been and will always be our top priority," a statement said. "This was not an easy decision. We are doing our best to minimize disruption."

Other services, such as the drop-in, the medical clinic, the outreach program, distribution of harm reduction equipment, and drug checking remain available, the Sandy Hill Community Health Centre says.

"We are acutely aware of the impact this situation will have on clients and our community, and are exploring options to redeploy staff to do outreach and engagement in the neighbourhood and overdose response outside," a note on the community centres website said Friday.

The Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development says it was first notified of a "health and safety event" on Feb. 23 and an inspector visited the site on Feb. 27.

The ministry did not provide any additional information, citing the ongoing investigation.