Province shuts down harm-reduction services across Ontario

March 29, 2019

TORONTO — Mike Schreiner made this statement following the announcement of 15 sites selected for Consumption and Treatment Services:

“In the midst of a mental health and addictions crisis, the government is preventing communities across Ontario from providing life-saving services.

We’ve gone from an illogical 21-site cap to a completely inadequate 15-site program that will force six sites to close at a moment’s notice.

Experts have made it clear this drawback in overdose prevention services will cost lives and see more people using drugs unsafely in their homes and public places.

As the MPP for Guelph, I am pleased that people in Guelph will continue to access harm-reduction services and a pathway to recovery through the Community Health Centre.

But it is shocking that places like Waterloo Region, which saw a huge spike to 106 suspected overdoses in February, have been blocked from providing life-saving support.

And for the country’s largest city, the implications of shuttering one third of its overdose sites in Toronto on Monday could be deadly.

The loss of funding will lead to preventable deaths and cause chaos for service providers.”

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