By Gazette Staff
March 16th, 2026
BURLINGTON, ON
Dr. Robin Lennox, Ontario NDP Shadow Minister for Mental Health and Addictions with responsibility for Primary Care, issued the following statement after reports the Ford government is ending provincial funding for supervised consumption sites on June 13, including Moss Park and Fred Victor in Toronto:
A scene in the laneways and parking lots of every major city in Ontario
“This is a deadly and irresponsible decision. Cutting off funding for supervised consumption sites will make our communities less safe. These sites provide a safe and monitored space for people using substances. Removing them means we will see more drug use and overdoses occurring in public spaces, including parking lots, restaurant bathrooms, libraries, or public transit.”
“Let me be perfectly clear: this will not make Ontario’s toxic drug crisis disappear, it will only make things worse. I am one of too many people across Ontario who lost someone they cared about to overdose this week. Family members, friends, and co-workers are grieving while the Premier and the Minister of Health dismantle services proven to save lives.”
Young lives are being wasted. The province wants to close down all the Supervised Consumption Sites
“Supervised consumption sites save lives. Full stop. We have more than 30 years of evidence from across Canada and around the world showing these services reduce overdose deaths, reduce the spread of HIV and hepatitis C, and connect people to care,” Dr. Lennox continued. “Anyone can be impacted by substance use. Everyone deserves the support they need to live a safe and fulfilling life.”
“Announcing this on a Friday after the workday as people head into the weekend is incompetent cowardice,” said Dr. Lennox. “Here in Hamilton, our public library is overwhelmed by the fallout of the supervised consumption site closure. Paramedics responded to 199 overdoses in the month of February – the most we’ve ever seen. We simply do not have the capacity in our communities and emergency services to absorb the impact of more reckless policy decisions”
“Our hospitals and paramedics are already stretched thin, and this will drive more overdoses into the street and into emergency rooms. What we need is a government that leads with evidence and compassion, not stigma. Listen to municipalities, health experts, and front-line workers who are pleading for action.”
Of course Burlington doesn’t have a drug problem – so the news means nothing here.
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Very sad state of Ontario affairs…a step backwards …
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My question is – Were the supervised consumption sites provided to make it safe for those dealing with addiction or to try to rehabilitate those having to use the sites?
If it was for the later reason then they have failed terribly. Addiction is not an easy thing to overcome and perhaps money needs to be spent on dealing with the core issues of addiction and how to try to get more addicts off them. Once again this is a very difficult thing to do.
There is no easy answer or fix to this problem. To be totally honest I would not want one of these sites near where I live. I think there are a multitude of other things happening at these sites other than simply having a safe consumption site.
For those of you who are probably thinking – what is the answer. I don’t know.
To all the addicts in Ontario – Mr. Ford needs the money saved by cutting off this funding for safe injection sites in order to pay for his Highway 413 “damn the environment” project and of course the new (unneeded) Science Centre plus his Highway 401 Tunnel of the Future.
Hope you all (that live) can enjoy each one in your future. You will learn This is How Ontario Works.