Ontario faith leaders urge province to not close 10 supervised consumption sites [Video]

Close to 250 faith leaders from across Ontario are pleading with the provincial government to reconsider its “deadly decision” to shutter 10 of its 17 supervised drug consumption sites (SCS) by March 2025 and create legislation that would prevent any new locations from opening.

On Tuesday, several members of the faith community delivered a letter to Premier Doug Ford and Ontario’s Minister of Health Sylvia Jones that urged them to reconsider this plan, which also includes limiting other harm reduction measures like safe supply and drug decriminalization.

“We urge you, Premier Ford and Minister Jones, to reverse this decision, and to follow the advice of the expert reports which you yourselves commissioned,” the signatories wrote in their letter.

“Ontario is currently in the midst of a deadly overdose crisis that claims one life every 8 hours. These safe consumption/overdose prevention sites are at the front-lines of this crisis, having reversed 21,000 overdoses since 2020. Without these sites, …