Province freezes funding as money running out for Sudbury’s safe consumption site

Time is quickly running out for Sudbury’s supervised consumption site and the 300 clients it has served since opening.

In a news conference Tuesday afternoon, the area’s NDP MPPS made an urgent appeal to Premier Doug Ford to provide funding.

In Sudbury, municipal funding Reseau Access Network received to operate the site runs out at the end of the year, putting the future of the site into question.

Sudbury MPP said the city can’t wait any longer.

“We’re done waiting,” West said.

“The north deserves equity. We are as important as anywhere else in Ontario and the government can fund a spot while it does its overall review. We simply can’t wait any longer.”

A funding application to the Ministry of Health two years ago has been ignored at Queen’s Park, the NDP said.

Greater Sudbury agreed to fund the site until the province could step up, but that funding runs out Dec. 31.

Nickel Belt MPP France Gélinas said the money for the site has been set aside.

“You know what not spending that money means? It means that people in my community will die,” Gélinas said.

“They will die because of the decisions you are making not to fund this essential service in my community.”

CTV News has inquired multiple times about the status of Sudbury’s application. On Tuesday, the province referenced a recent shooting outside a Toronto facility that killed a mother. As a result, the province is reviewing all sites in the province.

Time is quickly running out for Sudbury’s supervised consumption site and the 300 clients it has served since opening. (Photo from video)

“These reviews will inform the next steps taken by the Ministry of Health,” the province said.

“Applications for new consumption and treatment sites currently with the ministry are on pause.”

West called that decision a “convenient excuse for Doug Ford.”

FORD IS UNDER PRESSURE

Ford is “under heat for all the corruption issues that are going on and what he should be doing is providing trust with the province by providing the funding that’s been allocated and not spent.”

Because of the uncertainty, officials in Sudbury said 16 staff have received their notices, while others have left for more stable jobs.

“We’re again expecting the most oppressed and vulnerable people to access services that are already challenging and overburdened,” said Heidi Eisenhauer, executive director of Reseau Access Network.

“We’re again expecting the most oppressed and vulnerable people to access services that are already challenging and overburdened.”

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“Where are they supposed to go?” asked Amber Fritz, the manager of supervised consumption services.

“What are we supposed to tell them? There is no other consumption site that we can refer them to. This is it!”

If Sudbury is allowed to close, and with Timmins also facing similar funding issues, the next closest supervised consumption site will be Toronto.