Reckless and ideological: Ford’s latest cuts to SCS will make our communities unsafe

QUEEN’S PARK – Dr. Robin Lennox, Ontario NDP Shadow Minister for Mental Health and Addictions with responsibility for Primary Care, issued the following statement after reports the Ford government is ending provincial funding for supervised consumption sites on June 13, including Moss Park and Fred Victor in Toronto:

“This is a deadly and irresponsible decision. Cutting off funding for supervised consumption sites will make our communities less safe. These sites provide a safe and monitored space for people using substances. Removing them means we will see more drug use and overdoses occurring in public spaces, including parking lots, restaurant bathrooms, libraries, or public transit."

“Let me be perfectly clear: this will not make Ontario’s toxic drug crisis disappear, it will only make things worse. I am one of too many people across Ontario who lost someone they cared about to overdose this week. Family members, friends, and co-workers are grieving while the Premier and the Minister of Health dismantle services proven to save lives.”

“Supervised consumption sites save lives. Full stop. We have more than 30 years of evidence from across Canada and around the world showing these services reduce overdose deaths, reduce the spread of HIV and hepatitis C, and connect people to care,” Dr. Lennox continued. “Anyone can be impacted by substance use. Everyone deserves the support they need to live a safe and fulfilling life.”

“Announcing this on a Friday after the workday as people head into the weekend is incompetent cowardice,” said Dr. Lennox. “Here in Hamilton, our public library is overwhelmed by the fallout of the supervised consumption site closure. Paramedics responded to 199 overdoses in the month of February – the most we’ve ever seen. We simply do not have the capacity in our communities and emergency services to absorb the impact of more reckless policy decisions”

“Our hospitals and paramedics are already stretched thin, and this will drive more overdoses into the street and into emergency rooms. What we need is a government that leads with evidence and compassion, not stigma. Listen to municipalities, health experts, and front-line workers who are pleading for action.”