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Ontario Ends Funding for 8 Supervised Consumption Sites in June
The move affects more than 26,000 overdose reversals and 1.4 million visits since 2020, according to federal data.
Ontario's government announced it will stop funding eight remaining publicly funded supervised consumption sites in June, leaving thousands of users set to lose access to essential health services.
Health Minister Sylvia Jones' spokesperson Ema Popovic stated the government is spending $560 million to replace injection sites with an abstinence-based model known as homelessness and addiction recovery treatment, or HART, hubs.
Federal data shows supervised consumption sites recorded more than 1.4 million visits between 2020 and November 2025, with more than 26,000 overdoses reversed during that period, serving users like Riley Bisson.
Public health researcher Gillian Kolla argued that shuttering sites will eliminate welcoming spaces for substance users, warning that current evidence supports harm reduction despite the government's policy shift.
Rose Bisson, whose daughter Riley relies on Moss Park, called the closure "heartbreaking" for families fearing overdose deaths amid "unregulated and unpredictable" drugs, per site manager Sarah Greig.