Ontario Premier Doug Ford.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford. Credit: Joey Coleman / Flickr Credit: Joey Coleman / Flickr

The Ontario government is going ahead with its plan to close 10 of the province’s 19 supervised consumption and treatment service (CTS) sites, despite conclusions from the Ontario auditor general’s report, which challenges the decision. 

In November, the Ford government announced a ban for CTS sites operating within 200 meters of schools and daycares. They also announced that some sites would be replaced with new Homeless and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) hubs.  

The auditor general’s report, which was released Tuesday, said that the decision to replace consumption sites was made without proper planning, analysis, or public consultation. It also concluded that the Ford government “does not have effective processes in place to meet the challenging nature of the opioid crisis in Ontario.” 

Decision to close sites goes against internal evidence

In a previous interview with rabble.ca, Daniel Werb, director of the Centre on Drug Policy Evaluation (CDPE) and chair in mental health and substance use disorders at St. Michael’s Hospital and The University of Toronto, said that the decision to close CTS sites goes directly against expert evidence. 

“We have known for a while that these sites do save lives,” Werb said. “Stripping away the best line of defense we have against people dying of an overdose at a time when we are in the midst of an overdose crisis that has claimed more lives in this province than the COVID-19 pandemic – it’s extremely radical.” 

In November, The CDPE released an internal review from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care that they received through an access to information request. The review, which consulted 10 experts, concluded that CTS sites result in benefits for communities.  

Read more: Ontario’s safe drug consumption site strategy doesn’t match their own data

The Ontario auditor general’s report also underscored that the government had internal knowledge of the risks associated with closing consumption sites.  

“Our review of the government’s internal documents noted that the Ministry recognized the potential impacts to the health system of closing the 10 supervised consumption services sites,” the report said. 

It concluded that the government was aware of the risk closing sites posed for increased opioid-related death and public drug usage. 

Advocates call for a value-for-money audit 

Ontario’s Green Party and advocates are calling for a value-for-money audit on the closures of CTS sites in response to the decision. 

“We firmly believe that there is a net benefit to all taxpayers, whether people are using substances or not, by having consumption and treatment services in place in communities,” said Michael Parkinson, director of the Drug Strategy Network of Ontario, in a press conference Wednesday. 

Parkinson said CTS sites are tied to a reduction in crime and health issues, which keep more people out of the criminal justice and health care systems. 

“Anytime you can prevent a case of HIV/AIDS or hepatitis C translates into millions of dollars of savings for Ontario taxpayers,” he said. “And we’ve seen evidence that CTS sites both prevent and treat HIV, hepatitis C, and other health issues.”

Aislinn Clancy, MPP for Kitchener Centre and Deputy-leader of the Ontario Green party, said the government’s decision goes against expert evidence and will result in increased death among people who use CTS sites. 

“With a stroke of the pen, they signed the death sentence of the tens of thousands of people who rely on these sites to stay safe,” she said on Wednesday. 

“If the Premier wants to reduce public drug use, he should have consulted experts who are unequivocal that CTS sites keep drug poisonings off of our streets and out of ERs,” she later wrote on X.

In a statement to rabble.ca, a spokesperson for the Ontario Ministry of Health said the government’s decision to close CTS sites reflects the concerns of Ontarians. 

“We’ve heard from families of the harassment, verbal and physical assault they have experienced walking their child to daycare or school,” the statement said. “We have also heard about the phone calls parents have received that their child has picked up a dirty needle, or bag of toxic drugs in the school yard.”

“Enough is enough and our government is taking action to protect children and their families.”

Eleanor Wand

Eleanor Wand is a journalist based in Gatineau, QC. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from McGill University before studying journalism at Concordia University. During her studies, she interned...