This Saturday, August 31st, is International Overdose Awareness Day. It’s a day of campaigning to end overdose, remembering those who have died and acknowledging the grief of those left behind.
On August 20th, the Province of Ontario announced a significant change to public health policy and funding, prohibiting supervised consumption sites within 200 metres of a school or childcare facility. This will cause 10 of Ontario’s 23 supervised consumption sites to close. They will not be permitted to reopen elsewhere, regardless of proximity to schools or childcare.
One of the 10 sites in Ontario that will close is the program at Somerset West Community Health Centre in Ottawa, a member of the Alliance.
As the Centre’s Executive Director Suzanne Obiorah told reporters, 487 overdoses were reversed by the Centre’s staff in 2023.
Across Canada, 58,444 people survived an overdose at a supervised consumption site between January 2017 and May 2024. There are no known cases of fatal overdoses at supervised consumption sites in Canada. However, since 2016, over 44,000 people in Canada have died as a result of opioids, as the drug supply becomes increasingly toxic and unpredictable.
Commenting on the closure of the Somerset West Community Health Centre’s supervised consumption site, Councillor Ariel Troster said, "Instead of stepping over needles, my neighbours are going to be stepping over bodies."
Coupled with the announcement that 10 supervised consumption sites would be closed was the news that Ontario will create 19 new Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hubs.
The Province stated that HART Hubs will “add up to 375 highly supportive housing units, in addition to addiction recovery and treatment beds, that will help thousands of people each year transition to more stable long-term housing.” While there is a great need for additional supportive housing units, it is unclear at this time how people would qualify for these units. It also makes an assumption that people using supervised consumption sites are homeless, excluding people who are housed but make the decision to use drugs in a location where they can receive the care and supplies they need. The Hubs will not provide safe drug supply, supervised consumption, or needle exchange.
The theme of the 2024 International Overdose Awareness Day is “Together we can”, with the aim to highlight “the power of our community when we all stand together.” Unfortunately, the Province of Ontario is marking the occasion with a decision to abandon some of our most vulnerable neighbours.
Further reading:
- Addictions and Mental Health Ontario Calls for Community-Driven and Evidence-Based Approach to Expanding Addictions Care
- CBC: Closing Ottawa drug consumption site will have deadly consequences, supporters warn
- Ottawa Citizen: Deachman: Shutting this Ottawa supervised drug site means people will die
- Globe and Mail: Supervised drug consumption sites may have earned political and public wrath, but they are more helpful than harmful (paywalled)
- CTV: Somerset West supervised drug consumption site to close under new Ontario rules
- Ottawa Citizen: What it’s like to work at Ottawa’s busiest safe consumption site
. 
. 
