Court hears Ontario consumption sites are free to relocate

Lawyers for the province say Ontario’s new law on supervised consumption sites does not ban them entirely and those deemed too close to schools and daycares are free to relocate farther away.

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That’s contrary to numerous public comments from Health Minister Sylvia Jones, who has said no supervised consumption sites will open after the closures of 10 sites located within 200 metres of a school or daycare.

The lawyers’ comments in court came as one Toronto supervised consumption site, along with two of its users, challenged the legality of the new law that comes into force next week.

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Ontario Superior Court Justice John Callaghan says provincial lawyers will have to address the contradiction between the legislation and the health minister’s comments.

The Neighbourhood Group, which runs the Kensington Market Overdose Prevention Site in downtown Toronto, launched a lawsuit in December.

The province is moving to an abstinence-based addictions treatment model as it invests $529 million into a plan that also includes 540 highly supportive housing units.

Nine consumption sites will be converted to homelessness and addiction recovery treatment hubs — HART hubs, as the province calls them — to go along with 18 new hubs across Ontario.