Ontario’s Plan to Close Supervised Consumption Sites Could Lead to Numerous Deaths, Warn Experts and Data”

The Ontario government’s proposal to shut down supervised drug consumption sites may impact more facilities than initially anticipated, targeting programs that manage thousands of potentially fatal overdoses each year. Legal experts question the constitutionality of the move.

An analysis by CTV News Toronto of federal data reveals that the sites slated for closure, due to their proximity to schools or daycares, help more than three people survive overdoses daily in Toronto and nearly six people across Ontario. Experts warn that this could foreshadow the number of deaths if these programs are discontinued.

Assistant professor Gillian Kolla expressed strong concerns, stating, “As a public health researcher, I’m confident that closing supervised injection and consumption sites in Ontario will lead to higher fatal overdose rates. Research consistently shows that these services save lives.”

Kolla highlighted that around 22 people die from overdoses daily in Canada, a figure that fluctuates with the toxicity of the unregulated drug supply. She emphasized that the presence of healthcare workers or peers with naloxone, an opioid antidote, significantly reduces the likelihood of death.

This week, the Ontario government announced the closure of 10 programs across the province, including five in Toronto, by March 31, 2025. These sites will not be allowed to relocate. Instead, the government plans to invest $378 million to establish Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) hubs.

The decision follows the tragic death of 44-year-old Karolina Huebner-Makurat, who was killed by a stray bullet during a gunfight outside a Toronto consumption site in July 2023. Despite this, neither of the two reports commissioned to investigate the incident recommended closing the facilities. One report suggested enhanced security, while another advocated for an expansion of supervised consumption services.

The new regulations could also affect two of four supervised consumption sites in Toronto’s homeless shelters, known as Urgent Public Health Needs Sites, which are accessible only to shelter residents.

Michael Potvin, director of client services at the Homes First site on Lakeshore Boulevard West, explained that drug users access the site’s facilities under the supervision of staff trained to respond to overdoses with oxygen and naloxone. “Without this site, people would resort to using in unsupervised locations, which increases the risk of fatal overdoses,” Potvin said. He also noted that the site ensures safe disposal of needles, reducing the likelihood of discarded needles in public areas, particularly near schools.

Potvin stressed the importance of keeping clients alive as a critical step toward stabilizing them. “Safe consumption sites provide immediate support, ensuring that people who continue to use substances can survive and seek treatment when they are ready,” he said.

Federal data shows that the 10 sites targeted for closure refer about 131 people daily to other treatment and recovery services.

In 2011, Canada’s Supreme Court ruled to keep a Vancouver supervised consumption site open despite federal efforts to shut it down, citing its success in saving lives and improving health without increasing local drug use or crime. The justices argued that closing the facility would violate users’ charter rights without justified evidence.

Lawyer Michael Feder, who represented the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network in that case, believes Ontario’s plan will face significant legal challenges. “It’s going to be an uphill battle,” Feder said. “The government needs solid evidence to justify cutting off access to services that reduce disease and death.”

A statement from a health minister’s staffer cited a rise in crime around some sites as a reason for the closures but did not elaborate on the data supporting this claim. The statement emphasized that taxpayer-funded drug consumption should not occur near schools and daycares, describing the closures as a measure to protect vulnerable children.

Bill Sinclair, CEO of The Neighbourhood Group, which operates one of the sites slated for closure in Toronto’s Kensington Market, expressed disappointment. The site, located near a daycare also run by TNG, has operated without incident for nearly six years. “These services can coexist safely,” Sinclair said, adding that the decision was particularly shocking given that the daycare’s proximity was the reason for the shutdown. “The broader issue is that all professional advice points to the need for more of these services, not fewer.”

Sinclair emphasized that the sites are strategically located in community centers and healthcare facilities within residential neighborhoods, which inevitably places them near schools and childcare facilities. “We’re serving all our neighbors, not just one group,” he said.