Ontario Stands Firm on Defunding Drug Sites

Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Health Minister Sylvia Jones affirmed on Wednesday that the province will not reverse its decision to defund seven supervised drug consumption sites, despite criticism from six former Toronto mayors who urged a policy change in a letter sent the previous day.

The government notified the sites, including facilities operated by Fred Victor and Moss Park Consumption and Treatment Services in Toronto, two weeks ago that funding would end by mid-June. This follows the closure of nine other sites last year, prompted by a 2024 provincial ban on such operations within 200 meters of schools and daycares. Officials have redirected resources toward an abstinence-based model, converting many sites into homelessness and addiction recovery treatment hubs, known as HART hubs. The province has allocated about $50 million for the transition, with 28 hubs funded and 27 now operational.

Ford, speaking at an unrelated news conference, emphasized community safety concerns. "I want to help these people, but I'm not going to sit back as you put these injection sites in the middle of communities," he said. "There's needles all over the place. It's dangerous for kids and...