SCS closures: A death sentence that will lead to unsafe communities and higher costs

TORONTO, Aug. 20, 2024 /CNW/ - Premier Doug Ford and his government's misguided measures will endanger the lives of thousands of Ontarians struggling with substance use say members of the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO). The announced steps mean unsafe communities, more deaths, overwhelmed emergency services and spiking health-care costs, and leave nurses wondering who the government is trying to serve.

The planned closure of nine provincially funded supervised consumption sites (SCS) announced Tuesday and one privately funded site by March 2025, in Ottawa, Guelph, Hamilton, Thunder Bay, Kitchener, and Toronto, will result in increased deaths from the toxic drug supply and the spread of disease from unsafe needle sharing. Other sites in Windsor, Sudbury and Timmins have already been forced to close due to a lack of provincial funding.

The scale of Ontario's crisis is staggering: in 2023 alone, close to 3,800 people across Ontario died from an unregulated drug supply. While 2024 figures are not yet available, an average of 10 people per day are dying from tainted drugs. "Nurses are enraged that we will see more preventable deaths. These numbers will increase because the Ford government has made it clear that people who use substances are disposable," says RNAO President and NP Lhamo Dolkar. "Supervised consumption sites save lives and provide evidence-based, life-saving services and comprehensive mental health support; you can't help a dead person," she adds.

The government's ask for increased reporting of crime and loitering near remaining SCS sites addresses valid concerns yet fails to ask for critical reporting on the benefits of SCS in reducing death, illness and health costs. The claim that banning supervised drug consumption sites within 200 meters of schools and childcare centres protects communities overlooks the option of relocating these sites instead of closing them says RNAO.

Dr. Doris Grinspun, RNAO's CEO, says, "We cannot afford to lose more lives to policies driven by ideology rather than health care. Our health system cares for those with cancer and chronic illnesses; we must offer the same compassion and health services to persons struggling with substance use. People, families, and communities need support, not stigma." Grinspun warns that failing to support SCS will result in more lives lost to toxic drugs, more infected needles on the streets, increased HIV and Hepatitis C infections. "The increase in deaths from the toxic drug supply means more parents burying their children and longer waits for an ambulance for everyone else. Just one person requiring a lifetime treatment for HIV infection can cost taxpayers half a million dollars, and there will be many more. The government is telling us this will make communities safer? Premier Ford, our communities need more health care and less ideology."

RNAO is relieved that the government is responding to long-standing calls for recovery and treatment resources: the addition of a $378 million investment in 19 new Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hubs, connecting individuals to treatment, primary care, mental health and other essential services. Grinspun says nurses would have expected these HART Hubs to provide wrap-around services – including harm reduction services such as SCS and consumption and treatment services (CTS). The government's plan to exclude "safer" supply programs, supervised drug consumption, and needle exchange services from the hub model runs counter to its purported goal of keeping communities safe.

In addition, the government plans to introduce legislation this fall that would gut harm reduction programs in Ontario, such as safer supply programs. The legislation would prevent municipalities from advocating for the decriminalization of illegal drugs for personal use. This is outrageous and indefensible legislation because it ignores evidence supporting harm reduction and undermines democratic principles by restricting the ability of municipalities to advocate for essential public health measures.

Dolkar highlights the urgent need to engage with local communities: "Mayors across the province have called for increased support for mental health, substance use, and homelessness. While the premier has promised to listen to 'absolutely critical' needs identified by mayors, his response Tuesday indicates a lack of genuine engagement. Instead, he is placing a gag order on mayors and undermining their ability to advocate effectively at all levels of government. This government announcement signals a retreat from their responsibility to provide health care to Ontarians."

The Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO) is the professional association representing registered nurses, nurse practitioners and nursing students in Ontario. Since 1925, RNAO has advocated for healthy public policy, promoted excellence in nursing practice, increased nurses' contribution to shaping the health system, and influenced decisions that affect nurses and the public we serve. For more information about RNAO, visit RNAO.ca or follow us on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

SOURCE Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario

For more information, please contact: Marion Zych, Director of Communications, Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO), 1-800-268-7199 ext. 209, 416-408-5605, 647-406-5605 (cell), [e-mail]