9 overdose prevention sites to become treatment hubs in Ontario

Nine overdose prevention or safe consumption sites will transition into recovery treatment centres.

Last year, the province announced legislation that would close 10 supervised consumption sites within 200 metres of schools and licensed child-care centres.

On Thursday, the province announced nine safe consumption sites will become Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hubs. Each provincially funded site could submit a proposal to transition to a HART Hub and all nine applications have now been approved.

“The new HART Hubs will give people struggling with addiction the support and treatment services they need to achieve lasting recovery,” said Michael Tibollo, Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions.

The hubs will be in Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton, Kitchener, Guelph and Thunder Bay.

The privately funded Kensington Market Overdose Prevention Site will not become a hub.

Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, said the province was listening to families who feel consumption sites make communities less safe.

“Through these nine new Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment Hubs, part of our government’s $378 million investment to create a total of 19 hubs across the province, we are taking the next step in our plan to keep communities safe while improving access to mental health and addictions services,” Jones said.

The ban on safe consumption sites came after the killing of Karolina Huebner-Makurat in Leslieville near South Riverdale Community Health Centre at 955 Queen St. E. Huebner-Makurat was hit by a stray bullet shortly after noon on July 7, 2023 as a fight broke out between three alleged drug dealers.

South Riverdale Community Health Centre is one of the nine sites slated to transition to a HART Hub, according to the province. The Hub would be at at 1156 Danforth Ave.

In Toronto, Regent Park Community Health Centre at 465 Dundas St. E.; and Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre at 168 Bathurst St. are also to become hubs.

Toronto Public Health and several City of Toronto Divisions are also proposing to establish a HART Hub, according to the province.

Kensington Market Overdose Prevention Site run by the Neighbourhood Group Community Services agency is set to close by March 31.

Last month, The Neighbourhood Group Community Services agency launched a legal challenge to fight the closure of safe sites.

Bill Sinclair, the organization’s president and CEO, argued the sites save lives.

“The research and the experts prove that supervised consumption sites make a positive difference, both for the individuals we meet and for their whole neighbourhood,” Sinclair said.

By March 31, the nine approved safe consumption sites will be transitioned to HART Hubs.

Other sites slated to become HART Hubs include Hamilton’s Urban Core Community Health Centre at 430 Cannon St. E.; Guelph Community Health Centre at 176 Wyndham St. N.; Norwest Community Health Centre at 212 Miles St. E., Thunder Bay; Somerset West Community Health Centre at 55 Eccles St., Ottawa; and Community Healthcaring Kitchener-Waterloo at 44 Francis St. S.

Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath said she was pleased to see approval for the hub in Hamilton.

“By tackling mental health, addiction, homelessness, and barriers to care, this Hub will provide meaningful support to Hamilton’s most vulnerable residents,” Horwath said.

For more on Ontario’s plan, see the website here.

For more information on safe consumption sites across Canada see the federal government page here.

With files from the Canadian Press

Lead photo: Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre