Toronto trying to open interim safe injection sites

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Bluesky
• Share on X
• Copy Link

“We are hoping, at this point, to be in a position to have them open within a week,” he said.

Mourning the loss

Hope Mission reports overdose death outside temporary emergency homeless shelter

3h ago

Last seen on April 6

Missing: Diane Cooper, 82, of Consort

4h ago

6 to 8 p.m.

MLA Jason Stephan to hold public town hall on Thursday

4h ago

Toronto Public Health is opening one of the interim sites. It said in a statement that the sites will be a safe, hygenic place for people to inject drugs they’ve bought beforehand under medical supervision.

The other two interim sites will be at community health centres not run by the city.

The effort comes after harm reduction workers began setting up an unsanctioned safe injection site in a downtown Toronto park, saying the space is needed as the city grapples with a string of overdoses and suspected overdose deaths.

“Yes, we have been seeing an increase — and that’s why we’re talking about accelerating and expediting the plans we already had in place,” de Villa said.

As the interim sites open, she added, staff will work to ensure that the permanent safe injection sites open as quickly as possible.

“There are lots of logistics, lots of things that need to be taken care of,” she said.

De Villa didn’t have details on exactly how many staff members would be present at either interim or long-term facilities.

Last week, harm reduction workers said immediately opening interim drug use spaces would save lives while the city’s three supervised injection sites were constructed.

Earlier this month, the city announced it would speed up the opening of all three sites, as well as widening the distribution of the opioid overdose antidote naloxone to public health staff, community agencies and first responders.

It also asked local police to consider having some officers carry naloxone.

A statement from Toronto police deputy chief Mike Federico advised anyone dealing with an overdose to call 911.

“To the Toronto Police Service, an overdose call is a medical emergency, not a law enforcement issue,” it read. “Our job is to get treatment to those who need it as soon as possible.”

Toronto Public Health’s most recent data on opioid fatalities indicates that 87 people died from opioid use in the first half of 2016, with 135 deaths in 2015.

Brennan Doherty, The Canadian Press

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version incorrectly stated that Toronto Public Health was opening three interim safe injection sites. It also carried an incorrect spelling of De Villa’s last name on two references.