Northern officials say intake facilities are still needed to keep patients alive and undergo treatment.
While they welcomed the province’s investment in new treatment centers for homeless and drug addicts, officials said other people will be at risk of overdosing until those facilities are ready.
More than a year after postponing investment for new supervised admissions, Queen’s Park this week announced plans to ban supervised admissions this fall, as well as ordering the prompt closure of any space within two hundred meters of a school or daycare.
The Northeast region no longer has intake sites, following the closure of The Spot in Sudbury and Safe Health Site in Timmins.
CTV News reported that their requests for permanent sites have been denied.
Instead, the province said it would fund 19 homelessness and addiction remedy centres, which officials say will come in handy, as soon as they open.
“You can’t get relief if you’re dead,” said Amber Fritz of Network Access.
“They can’t house you if you’re dead. So I wonder how this is going to solve what’s causing this crisis. “
“They are final before the new ones come into force,” said France Gelinas, a health critic at the NDP.
“What do you think will happen to all those patients?
o Download our app to get alerts on your device
o Receive the latest updates directly to your inbox
The answer, says Gelinas, is that some of them will die.
Fritz said another 77 people in the Sudbury-Manitoulin district died from overdoses between January and July of this year.
In Timmins, paramedics say overdoses have increased since July.
While northern officials welcome the province’s investment in new treatment centers for homeless and drug addicts, officials said other people are at risk of overdosing until those facilities are ready. (Photo from video)
“The truth is that there was an increase of about 16% over the same period compared to last year,” said Seamus Murphy of the Cochrane District EMS.
And Murphy said many of the overdoses were about shots, anything the Safe Health Site Timmins addresses.
Timmins Mayor Michelle Boileau said they will escalate.
“The crisis of intellectual aptitude and addiction will get worse,” Boxeau said.
“And with the relief in services, we can expect things to get worse. “
Boileau said city partners are pushing to submit an application for a wellness centre, making the province’s announcement timely and will be long-term.
Meanwhile, fitness officials cite studies that the province ignored that demonstrate the value of intake sites in preventing deaths and connecting others to services.
“They’re looking to offer remedy to other people who need it, rather than just allowing consumption,” Murphy said.
“What was happening with our secure intake site was that they had access to this treatment on a long-term basis. It was proven. “
“It wasn’t like, you know, move on, do drugs and that’s it,” Fritz added.
“We offer comprehensive support. “
Fritz said he hopes the new homeless and addiction treatment centers will operate as planned.
Boileau said Timmins could get one by the end of next year.
Meanwhile, Murphy said paramedics will have to pick up the slack, since they receive drug treatments and can guide patients when they respond to an overdose.
The Shopping Trends team is independent of CTV News journalists. We may earn a commission when you use our links to make purchases. Read about us.