TORONTO — The Ontario government says it will cut provincial funding for seven supervised drug consumption sites, initiating a 90-day transition period as it shifts toward an abstinence-based treatment model.The province said the affected locations include two sites in Toronto, two in Ottawa, and one each in Niagara, Peterborough and London. Funding is set to end following the transition period, with the government directing clients toward its homelessness and addiction recovery treatment (HART) hubs.Health Minister Sylvia Jones said the government’s approach is focused on “treatment, recovery and safer communities.”.Premier Doug Ford defended the decision at a press conference in Brockville, stating that supervised consumption sites contribute to ongoing drug use, while the province’s new model emphasizes recovery and rehabilitation.“I don't want to hurt these people. I want to help them. I want them to be productive,” Ford said. “I don't believe in placing these injection sites in communities near schools.”The move follows earlier legislation passed in 2024 that prohibited supervised consumption sites within 200 metres of schools or daycare centres. That policy led to the closure or conversion of multiple sites across the province, many of which transitioned into HART hubs.The government has also prohibited the opening of new supervised consumption sites and says it plans to invest approximately $550 million to expand the HART hub system across Ontario.Critics of the decision, including health-care workers, advocacy groups and some opposition politicians, argue that removing supervised consumption services could lead to increased overdose deaths and place additional strain on emergency services.They say such sites provide monitored environments that reduce harm and connect individuals to health and social supports.A report from Toronto Public Health previously warned that closing consumption sites could result in more preventable overdoses and increased pressure on paramedics.Meanwhile, the province has pointed to research from the Canadian Centre of Recovery Excellence that found no increase in overdose-related deaths or emergency calls following the closure of an overdose prevention site in Red Deer, Alta., though some observers have questioned the scope and independence of that study.The funding cuts are expected to take effect in mid-2026 following the completion of the transition period.
