According to access-to-information records obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF), the City of Toronto spent $33,561 on branded stickers for crack pipes and other illegal drug paraphernalia from 2020 to July 2023.The branded crack and meth kits were distributed at no cost through a needle exchange program managed by Toronto Public Health and made available throughout the city's shelter system.“Why in the world does the city need to spend thousands of dollars on stickers for crack pipes and meth kits?” said Jay Goldberg, Ontario director of CTF. “This is a crystal-clear example of reckless city hall spending that needs to stop.” .In May, Anthony Furey, who was a mayoral candidate in Toronto's 2023 by-election, showed pictures of the City of Toronto branded crack and meth kits being dispensed through The Works, a "harm-reduction program.”The Works was established in 1989 initially as a needle exchange program during the HIV epidemic. However, in recent years, it has expanded its services to include the distribution of various types of drug paraphernalia. Toronto Public Health administers the program.Following the public revelation of the city-branded crack and meth kits, the CTF submitted access-to-information requests to obtain information about the amount of taxpayer funds used to brand drug paraphernalia.“The data below shows the number of kits given out at our needle exchange and includes crack smoking kits, crystal meth kits, foil kits and injection kits,” according to the records. “This does not include those given out through outreach, van or other programs.”In total, 166,392 of these kits have been given out for free.
