Health Canada does not require supervised injection sites to be located a minimum distance from schools, daycares or playgrounds, a departmental report confirms, raising concerns among opposition MPs.Blacklock's Reporter says the department has licensed 31 sites across six provinces under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, including 13 in Ontario, five each in British Columbia, Alberta and Québec, two in Saskatchewan and one in Nova Scotia. Health Minister Marjorie Michel told the Commons health committee that selecting locations is not her responsibility.“Health Canada does not set a minimum distance requirement between safe consumption sites and nearby locations such as schools, daycares or playgrounds,” the department wrote. Applications are reviewed based on local need, community support, crime impact, administrative structure, and available resources..Conservative MP Dan Mazier pressed Michel on whether sites are being approved near vulnerable locations. “Are you aware your department is approving supervised consumption sites next to daycares, schools and playgrounds?” he asked. Michel responded that the department grants exemptions only after reviewing applications against its criteria, but she could not confirm how many sites are near schools or playgrounds.One site that opened in Montréal in 2024 is located adjacent to a kindergarten playground. .Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre criticized the location at the time, calling such facilities “drug dens” and questioning the safety of having people use crack, heroin and cocaine near children.A 2023 Health Canada audit found the federal “safe supply” policy has cost $820 million and failed to reduce opioid-related deaths, which remain higher than pre-pandemic levels. The report warned that “the number of substance use harms and deaths continues to be alarming” and noted that the COVID-19 pandemic worsened the overdose crisis.
