TRILLIUM TALK: Supervised drug consumption site? Not in my backyard

Trillium Talk - A weekly briefing from the Ontario Legislature from the team at The Trillium

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Welcome back to Trillium Talk, your must-see briefing from Village Media’s team of journalists at the Ontario Legislature.

Every Sunday, Scott Sexsmith sits down with one of our staffers at The Trillium to talk about the week that was at Queen's Park — and the week ahead.

On the show today is Editor-in-Chief Jessica Smith Cross, who unpacks the biggest news of the week: the Ford government's decision to shut down 10 supervised consumption sites in the province, and ban all new ones.
The announcement was widely criticized by harm-reduction advocates and municipal politicians, who say the sites reduce public drug use, prevent overdoses and offer a pathway toward treatment. The decision also went against the advice of two government-commissioned reports that recommended keeping the existing sites open — and increasing funding to stabilize staffing and hire permanent security guards.

But in the end, the province listened the many neighbours who say they feel unsafe living near supervised consumption sites. Last July, 44-year-old Karolina Huebner-Makurat was killed by a stray bullet after a fight that broke out in the area around the South Riverdale Community Health Centre in east-end Toronto.

Instead of supervised consumption, the province plans to spend $378 million creating 19 HART hubs ("Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment"). The hubs will add up to 375 "highly supportive housing units," according to the government, and aim to connect people to services including mental health treatment, primary care, employment help and other supports.

You can read all the details of the government's announcement — and what it could mean for some of the province's most vulnerable people — at The Trillium.

Also on the program this week: Is an election looming? Sure fees like it.