The Ontario government says it will end funding for at least three provincially funded drug consumption sites, including two in Toronto, in a move that is drawing concern from advocates.
In letters obtained by CBC Toronto on Friday, the Ontario Ministry of Health told the Fred Victor Centre and South Riverdale Community Health Centre in Toronto that provincial funding for the consumption and treatment services sites that they operate will end in 90 days, as of June 13, 2026.
The Carepoint Consumption and Treatment Service in London, Ont., also received notice Friday.
At a news conference late Friday, harm reduction advocates said sites in Peterborough, Kingston, St. Catharines and two in Ottawa received letters from the province as well telling them that they will be shut down.
Elizabeth Walker, executive lead for office of the chief medical officer of health, said in the letters that the ministry has served 90 days notice to the site operators to provide an “orderly transition” for clients so that they can access other community health services, including at local HART Hubs.
“This decision reflects Ontario’s commitment to prioritizing treatment, recovery and supports that help individuals move toward long-term stability while protecting Ontario communities,” Walker said.
CBC Toronto has reached out to the ministry for details about the numbers of sites that received letters Friday, but has yet not heard back.
‘This decision is deadly,’ advocate says
Zoe Dodd, an organizer with the Toronto Overdose Prevention Society, said the news is “absolutely appalling” and the sites save lives.
“What the government is choosing to do today will cause deaths,” Dodd said. “It’s something that we said would happen when the sites closed and people did die.”
“This decision is deadly. We are angry about this decision and we will be fighting back.”
Janet Butler-McPhee, co-executive director of the HIV Legal Network, said advocacy groups learned of the move late in the day and do not yet have full details of the decision.
Butler-McPhee called the province’s decision to defund the remaining sites a “cowardly” move.
“We do know people will die without access to the life-saving care they receive at these sites. The sites exist within our communities and make them better and safer for everyone,” she said at a virtual news conference Friday.
3 sites not provincially funded to remain open in Toronto
Diana Chan McNally, a community worker, said three drug consumption sites in Toronto, run by Street Health, Kensington Market Overdose Prevention Site and Casey House, are not affected by the funding cut. The three are not funded by the province, she said.
Meanwhile, the Regional HIV Aids Connection, which runs the Carepoint Consumption and Treatment Service in London, Ont., said in a statement it is reviewing the details and assessing the possible impact on the people and communities it serves.
“Our immediate focus remains ensuring continuity of care and support for those who rely on our services.”
In a statement Friday, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA), condemned the province’s decision to defund drug consumption sites across the province, calling it “misguided.”
“Communities across Ontario and throughout Canada are facing an unprecedented opioid crisis, alongside escalating homelessness and mental health challenges. This is a moment that demands expanded, evidence-based supports — not reduced access to critical, lifesaving health care services,” it continued.
“The loss of these services will disproportionately harm already marginalized communities, including Indigenous and racialized people, as well as those experiencing poverty and homelessness, who face systemic barriers to accessing health care and other supports.”
The CCLA called on the province to reverse its decision to end funding to drug consumption sites and to uphold the safety, health and dignity of all people, including those addicted to substances.
Ontario banned sites near schools, daycares in 2024
The letter to the centres says they must provide a plan by April 10 that includes a list of assets bought with ministry funds and anticipated costs to wind down operations.
Walker said the plan should also include information on strategies to transition clients to other community health services as well as transitions for staff, among other things.
The letter says officials will be in touch with the sites to develop plans on connecting to HART Hub Services, other community-based treatment and recovery supports.
In 2024, Ford’s government banned consumption sites within 200 metres of a school or daycare, targeting 10 sites across the province for closure by the end of March 2025.
Most of those sites closed and chose to convert to the province’s new abstinence-based model — homelessness and addiction recovery treatment, or HART, hubs.
The government has also banned new consumption sites from opening altogether.
The province says it is moving away from harm reduction to an abstinence-based model as it launches 19 HART hubs, plus 375 highly supportive housing units at a planned cost of $378 million.
