TORONTO -- Ontario is set to ban consumption and treatment services sites within 200 metres of schools and child care centres, which will lead to the closure of 10 facilities.
Health Minister Sylvia Jones' announcement follows two reviews of the sites that the government ordered in the wake of the killing of a Toronto woman, who was hit by a stray bullet from a shooting near one of the sites.
Karolina Huebner-Makurat had been walking through her southeast Toronto neighbourhood of Leslieville shortly after noon on July 7, 2023, when she was shot as a fight broke out between three alleged drug dealers.
The 10 sites that will have to close due to the new rules include five in Toronto, and one each in Ottawa, Kitchener, Thunder Bay, Hamilton and Guelph.
A spokesperson for Premier Doug Ford says the province will be introducing more addiction recovery supports and new treatment hubs.
The Ford government introduced the consumption and treatment services model in 2018, saying it would focus on connecting people to treatment, rather than the previous supervised consumption model.
This report by was first published Aug. 20, 2024.