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Our government is taking action to protect the safety of children and communities by banning supervised drug consumption sites within 200 meters of schools and childcare centres. We are also mandating new protections to better protect community safety near remaining sites, in addition to introducing legislation this fall to prohibit municipalities or organizations from standing up new consumption sites or participating in federal so-called “safer” supply initiatives.
These new restrictions will result in the closure of nine provincially-funded sites and one self-funded site, located in Toronto, Ottawa, Guelph, Hamilton, Thunder Bay, and Kitchener, no later than March 31, 2025.
We’ve also heard that the status quo of drug consumption sites is not working.
Parents are worried about the discarded needles that their children could pick up.
Some parents no longer feel comfortable sending their children to the local elementary school or have pulled them out of their local daycare.
Businesses and communities are concerned about the disruptive behaviour and increased crime around drug consumption sites that impact their livelihoods.
Just last year for example, compared to the rest of the city, there was
113 per cent higher reports of assault near these sites in Toronto.
“I fully support the new policy on safe injection sites introduced by our government under the leadership of Premier Ford and Minister Jones. It is critical that we ensure that children and students are protected and that they are safe in their own school. Allowing kids and schools to be near injection sites where crime has increased, and improperly discarded needles are on the floor everywhere is not safe. Parents should be able to send their kids to school without the fear of what could happen to them. Our government will always support parents, students, and addiction recovery with new treatment hubs. The safety of our children is my top priority, ” stated Scarborough Agincourt MPP Aris Babikian.
As part of a comprehensive system of care that prioritizes community safety and focuses on giving people their lives back through treatment and recovery, our government is investing $378 million in 19 new Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hubs that will reflect regional priorities and connect people struggling with addiction to the support and services they need.
Furthermore, Minister Calandra is investing over $650 million for the Homelessness Prevention Program and $41.5 million for the Indigenous Supportive Housing Program.
We are also supporting 100 Mobile Crisis Response Teams in communities across the province, where mental health professionals partner with police to respond to mental health calls.
Scarborough, Aug. 20, 2024
Contact: Betty Doghramjian
