Ontario’s supervised consumption site ban goes against expert evidence, suggests an internal review from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.
The review, which rabble.ca has received, concludes that supervised consumption sites have “protective effects on overdose-related morbidity and mortality,” are “not associated with an increase in drug-related crime or drug dealing” and “result in savings to the overall health care system.”
Only three of the 10 experts consulted in the 2018 review of the province’s supervised consumption site program disagreed with consumption sites as an acceptable model to treat substance abuse.
But as of March 31, 2025, 10 of Ontario’s 19 supervised consumption sites will be forced to close as a result of the province’s ban of sites operating within a 200 metre radius of schools or child care centres.
The internal review was first discovered through an access to information request by the Centre on Drug Policy Evaluation (CDPE), who released part of the document in their new report on supervised consumption sites in Ontario.
Daniel Werb, director of the CDPE and chair in Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders at St. Michael’s Hospital and The University of Toronto, said their report aims to relay the current evidence on supervised consumption sites.
Supervised consumption sites are not a risk to public safety
“If we can communicate to the public not only what these sites have accomplished in Ontario, but also what they haven’t contributed to – namely, more dangerous neighbourhoods – I’m hopeful that we can make a difference,” Werb said in an interview with rabble.ca.
In an email statement to rabble.ca, a spokesperson for the Ontario Minister of Health said the government’s decision to close consumption sites was in response to backlash.
“Communities, parents, and families across Ontario have made it clear that the presence of drug consumption sites near schools and daycares is leading to serious safety problems,” the statement said. “Ontarians deserve more than a health care system focused on providing people struggling with addiction with tools to use illegal drugs.”
According to the CDPE’s report, however, there is no link between supervised consumption sites and an increased risk to public safety – but there is a strong link to decreased mortality.
The CDPE report, which used data from the Toronto Police Service and the provincial government, found that neighbourhoods in Toronto with supervised consumption services experienced a 67 per cent reduction in overdose-related deaths.
It also found that neighbourhoods with supervised consumption services experienced a decrease in assault and robbery rates, whereas other downtown neighbourhoods did not.
What this means for those struggling with addiction
Jessica Lyons is a frontline worker at Moss Park’s Consumption and Treatment Service in Toronto, one of the consumption sites that will be forced to close by March. She’s worried about what the ban will mean for her patients.
“People feel like they’re being abandoned to die,” she said in an interview with rabble.ca. “People feel like they’re being told they’re worthless by the government.”
“It is my absolute honour to work with all the people I work alongside,” Lyons continued. “To provide healthcare, to provide support, to learn from them, to hear about their lives.”
Some supervised consumption sites, such as The Somerset West Community Health Centre in Ottawa, have applied to become Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) hubs.
HART hubs are part of a new $378 million investment project by the Ontario government, “built to respond to local community needs and priorities”. The hubs will offer users connections to services like treatment programs and mental health support, but they will not offer consumption services or needle exchange programs.
Suzanne Obiorah, executive director of Somerset West Community Health Centre, said that though her centre is applying to become a HART hub, there needs to be multiple strategies to address the drug crisis.
“HART hubs are one strategy to address the toxic drug and homelessness crisis,” said Obiorah, “but we need multiple interventions to support members in our community.”
Werb says the HART hub model is confusing – and that instead of trying to replace the existing system, the government should be supporting it.
“The system of supervised consumption sites that we know is already so effective,” he said. “It just doesn’t make any sense.”
But he’s hopeful their report will help inform the government’s decisions going forward.
“I’m always hopeful that evidence can help inform decision making,” he said. “If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be doing the work that I do.”
As for Moss Park, Lyons isn’t sure what’s next. When asked, she said: “There’s no plan. The plan is we’re getting closed down. We’re trying to fight it.”
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Nick Seebruch, editor
