New Ford government addiction hubs will open before supervised consumption sites close [Video]

Nineteen new addiction treatment hubs will be operational in Ontario before 10 supervised consumption sites are forced to close their doors in March, the Ford government is promising.

In a surprise announcement last week, Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones unveiled almost $380 million in funding for addiction recovery hubs, while ordering the majority of supervised drug consumption sites in the province to close their doors.

The government also unveiled plans to stop other supervised drug injection sites from opening in Ontario, going against its own expert advice but citing rising crime and complaints from neighbours.

The move has been touted by Ontario Premier Doug Ford as a swing to focus on tackling addiction itself instead of preventing fatal overdoses through either the supply of safe drugs or spaces where overdoses can be quickly reversed.

“That doesn’t work — I know, I’ve dealt with it within our family, I’ve dealt with it within our community,” Ford said of supervised consumption sites at …