Ford's Drug Policy: Balancing Safety & Addiction Support

It's March 25, Canada News, today starts now, AI-powered and ready.

Ontario premier Doug Ford and Health Minister Sylvia Jones say they will not back down on

closing more supervised drug consumption sites.

Two weeks ago, the province told seven sites to shut down by mid-June after pulling their

funding.

This follows the closure of nine other sites last year that were near schools and day

cares.

Ford explained, the move is to protect communities from needles and parks and streets that

endanger kids.

Meanwhile, the government is shifting to abstinence-based treatment through homelessness and addiction

recovery treatment hubs known as heart.

Jones noted that 28 of these hubs are funded with all but one now up and running.

Health workers, advocates, and those experiencing homelessness warn the closures will cause

more deaths.

Six former Toronto mayors wrote a letter urging a reversal pointing to an 82% jump in non-fatal

opioid overdose calls since the earlier sites closed.

Opposition leaders from the Liberals and NDP also criticized the plan, calling for evidence-based

harm reduction tied to treatment.

Data shows non-fatal overdose calls rose sharply after April of last year reversing a prior

downward trend.

Fatal opioid deaths have dropped overall since the pandemic peak for more than 2,600 in

2023 to over 2,224.

Still, fentanyl drives most cases with recent monthly figures holding steady.

As hard hubs expand, the debate continues over balancing community safety with addiction

support pathways.