A rally is about to be held this week, with advocates locally hoping to avoid wasting downtown Kitchener’s Consumption and Therapy Companies (CTS) website.
This comes following the Ontario authorities tabling a invoice on Nov. 18, pushing to ban websites inside 200 metres of faculties and childcare centres, together with the long run creation of any new areas. These bans would additionally embrace the closure of 10 websites throughout Ontario, together with one in Guelph and Kitchener’s location at 150 Duke Avenue West.
“It’s key to remember that there is no substitute for a consumption and treatment service. It just doesn’t exist,” says Michael Parkinson, with the Waterloo Area Drug Motion Workforce (WRDAT), which beforehand has mentioned these closures will solely compound the continued issues.
The Kitchener CTS dashboard at present reveals that zero deaths have been reported on the website because it was first opened again in 2019. It additionally goes into particulars on overdose numbers, with figures exhibiting 1,040 overdoses have been reported in that point, however 100 per cent of these have been reversed.
“What’s on the line here is, not just preventing overdoses, all of the on-site services that are provided by a CTS, but all of the external referrals numbering in tens of thousands – all of the impacts on the neighbourhoods,” mentioned Parkinson.
Overdose knowledge from Kitchener CTS dashboard (Area of Waterloo, CTS)
He goes on to say the present invoice would even have additional stemming implications, not only for these straight tied to the CTS website, but in addition for many who want different companies throughout the neighborhood.
“Even drug-checking services are under threat by this legislation,” mentioned Parkinson. “It’s impossible to provide good public health support when supervised consumption sites and drug checking services are eliminated.”
Parkinson says essentially the most perplexing a part of the scenario has been the clear lack of help for defunding the downtown Kitchener location, with teams combating for the way forward for the location throughout Waterloo Area.
“Two motions from the City of Kitchener, a motion from the region of Waterloo urging the province to reverse course, letters from faith groups, the Downtown Advisory Committee in support, the daycare across the street in support, labour groups, health, medical, social service providers, students from the universities. It is a long, long list.”
College students rally at Carl Zehr Sq. in Kitchener on Nov. 15, 2024. (Justine Fraser/CityNews Kitchener)
Kitchener Centre MPP, Aislinn Clancy, additionally spoke at Queen’s Park following the preliminary tabling of the invoice, sharing the identical sentiments as Parkinson and pushing for the way forward for the websites.
“I’ve talked to the people who work there and I’ve talked to the people who use the sites,” mentioned Clancy. “They tell me that this saves their lives and the data says that.”
The rally to avoid wasting the CTS website is about to be held in correlation with the area’s Strategic Planning and Finances public enter assembly on Wednesday, Nov. 27, with the rally set to be held between 6 and eight p.m.
“Coming out on Wednesday to witness the proceedings is a really great step,” mentioned Parkinson. “It’s free, it’s friendly, and it matters a lot.”
