PCs introduce legislation to close safe drug consumption sites

The PC government has tabled a bill that would mandate the closure of 10 of Ontario’s 17 regulated drug consumption sites and prevent municipalities from seeking permission from the federal government to open new ones.

This follows months of warnings from public health workers, drug users, religious leaders and public sector unions that doing so would lead to increased opioid deaths and public drug use.

“There will be no more safe injection sites in the province of Ontario under our government’s direction,” Health Minister Sylvia Jones said at a press conference shortly after the introduction of Bill 223, the Safer Streets, Stronger Communities Act.

The omnibus bill includes several new “public safety” policies; one is a ban on supervised consumption (SCSs) operating within 200 meters of a school or daycare, which would result in the closure of five facilities in Toronto and another five in Toronto. Ottawa, Kitchener, Thunder Bay, Hamilton and Guelph.

PCs also ensure that municipalities and public health departments cannot circumvent the de facto ban on new SCSs by asking the federal government for permission to open SCSs and operate them without state funding. Bill 223 requires cities to first seek permission from the state before making such a request.

“We don’t want them to bypass something that we strongly disagree with and get federal approval,” Jones said, adding that there was “no situation” in which he would grant such permission.

Since the closure of SCSs was announced in August, many organizations have come to Queen’s Park to beg the province to reconsider, arguing that by closing the sites, addicts would use more drugs in public places without anyone to keep an eye on them. Their use of Naloxone to reverse a potentially fatal overdose.

Kensington Market Overdose Prevention Site customer Jennifer Haier told reporters at the legislature: “Why doesn’t the government want us to be safe? Aren’t we important? We’re human beings too. Please reconsider the announcement, you’re killing us.” September.

drink one Ministry of Health impact assessment obtained by Global News Earlier this month these concerns were reiterated, with the government warning that closing SCSs would negatively impact people already experiencing “disproportionately high rates of opioid-related deaths” and would not solve the problem of discarded needles and cracked pipes that PCSs often talk about. as the reason for the closures

The impact assessment states, “There is a risk that the closure of supervised consumption sites will make drug use and discarded drug paraphernalia more dispersed and more visible in society.” The statement was included.

When asked why the government was ignoring its own findings — as it did earlier this year when it rejected recommendations supporting SCSs in the province-wide review it ordered for 2023 — Jones said the government was instead listening to ordinary Ontarians.

“We’re listening to the parents, we’re listening to the individuals who have to deal with this on a daily basis,” he said. “We have a lot of input that we use, provide and evaluate.”

The government plans to replace SCSs with new Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) centres, which Jones said would be open by March 2025.

Jones did not respond when asked if SCSs would be allowed to remain open if HART centers were delayed for any reason.

Asked if he could guarantee there wouldn’t be a rise in opioid deaths by this time next year, he said the state could “evaluate the effectiveness” of HART Centers by then.

Bill 223 also includes other policies.

It prohibits registered sex offenders from legally changing their names, requires them to hand over their emails and social media usernames to police, and requires them to notify police before traveling outside Canada. ‘

He also opposes the practice of “recovering” stolen cars, as federal Transport Minister Anita Anand has done. A call was made to all provinces taking it more seriously last month. The bill criminalizes knowingly providing or using a false Vehicle Identification Number and increases charges for each subsequent offense.

Bill 223 also:

• prohibits advertising of black market marijuana;
• exempts terrorist crimes from the two-year statute of limitations in civil cases;
• Proclaiming November as Community Safety and Crime Prevention Month;
• allows the attorney general to award more police awards;
• allows police chiefs to seek temporary assistance from the OPP; And
• It allows new regulations that allow retired judges to work more part-time.