By: Cari Kozierok 

Earlier this week, I counted myself among 244 faith-based leaders from across Ontario who signed a letter to Premier Doug Ford and Health Minister Sylvia Jones, urging them to reconsider the closure of 10 of 17 safe consumption sites across Ontario. 

At these sites, which are based on a harm-reduction model, individuals are supervised while they consume their street drugs. The purpose is to ensure safer habit through the availability of needles and other necessary equipment as well as overdose prevention. When an individual is supervised while using, in the event of an adverse effect such as reaction to tainted supply or overdose, naloxone can be administered to prevent death. Individuals receive health advice, clean needles and other consumption supplies, education on safe drug use, overdose prevention kits, as well as services like referrals to drug treatment, shelter and income support.  

The reason cited by the province for the closures is the proximity of the sites to schools and daycares.  While this is understandable, I signed onto the letter urging a reversal of the decision because closing them before a full contingency plan to replace this life-saving service is in place, will result in the preventable death of a great many people – people who need support, assistance and compassion. 

The plan to eventually transition these sites into “hubs” which are planned to include a host of services like drug treatment, mental health counselling and others, is laudable. However, the plan does not seem to include harm reduction services. With a tainted drug supply crisis and Toronto paramedical services and emergency rooms stretched to their limit, the ~400 calls per month currently received for suspected overdose and the average ~25 deaths per month will climb exponentially with the closure of these supervised sites.  

Ve’ahavta’s Mobile Jewish Response to Homelessness outreach vans which serve nearly 300 people across the GTA each night, is also based on a harm reduction model. We believe in the sacred value of each human life and recognize that by meeting people where they are at with respect and compassion, we can keep them alive enough and safe enough to hopefully transition their lives to become housed, employed and substance-free in the future.  

We distribute hot meals, clothing, sleeping bags, hygiene products, and harm reduction supplies – clean needles and other paraphernalia, to help keep people alive while they are experiencing homelessness and using. Naloxone, a medicine that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose is something that our outreach workers administer and distribute on a regular basis numerous times per week. 

So far this year alone, we have distributed 60% more harm reduction kits than we did by this time last year – a total of 4,531 so far. 

Jewish tradition teaches that each person is a universe unto themselves, and so to save one life is to the save the world.  

Substance abuse is not something faced by “others”, worthy of our derision and disdain.  Over 6 million Canadians are affected and they come from every walk of life. At Ve’ahavta, we believe that if we treat people with kindness and respect, slowly connecting them with services and support, when they are ready, they will be able to make the decision to get help.  

This has been the job of these safe consumption sites, too and I shudder to think about what we will encounter on our streets when they have been closed.