A frustrated Sault Ste. Marie mayor is blaming Doug Ford's Ontario government for sabotaging the ability of supervised consumption sites to succeed.
"While supervised consumption has proven effective in other regions, Ontario used challenges in rolling them out as an excuse not to support them," Mayor Matthew Shoemaker said Wednesday, responding to yesterday's announcement of a provincial ban on future consumption and treatment services (CTS) sites.
"The announcement regarding supervised consumption sites is based on ideology and not evidence," said Shoemaker, who made building a CTS site here a key plank in his election campaign.
"The province's slow approval process, lack of stable funding, and the pause that spanned months though it was initially expected to last weeks, undermined these sites and their ability to succeed.
"The reaction from health care experts and front-line workers is reflective of my belief that the problem is not with the concept, but with the government’s approach.
"We must consider the advice of professionals who understand the complexities of healthcare and rely on their specialized training, education, and experience to develop evidence-based recommendations, rather than relying on opinion-driven and politically convenient policies."
In a statement issued to SooToday, the mayor said Saultites should not be forced to choose between CTSs and treatment services.
"It is frustrating that the province is framing this issue as a choice between consumption services and treatment services when it is essential for governments to provide a mix of both. We should not have to choose – both types of services can and should be funded and provided.
"Despite my personal opinion, I’m going to aggressively advocate for Sault Ste. Marie to receive support to address the mental health and addictions crisis," the mayor said.
"We will be submitting a proposal to the Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment Hubs program announced by the Health Ministry."
