Sudbury MPP calls on province to finance supervised consumption site

Sudbury MPP Jamie West is calling on the province to fund a supervised consumption site in the city.

"We know there's harm reduction in supervised consumption sites and if we want people to be able to come sober and get off their addictions, we need them not to die during the process," he said.

West said the opioid crisis an issue prevalent in northern Ontario, citing a coroner's preliminary report.

West told CTV News there were more than 100 opioid-related overdoses in the area last year.

"Northern Ontario has the highest mortality rates per 100,000 people for opioid mortality rates," he said.

"We really have to treat this like it's an emergency. It’s a crisis and we're not treating it that way."

Réseau Access Network has been operating its supervised consumption site since November of last year, but it's been waiting for 19 months to receive word from the province on the status of funding.

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Réseau is currently funded by the City of Greater Sudbury, which will come to a halt at the end of this year.

"There's nothing outstanding that we know, we've not been told of anything that’s holding us back, so it's waiting on those last-minute decisions from the provincial government," said the network’s executive director Heidi Eisenhauer.

She said she hopes to continue offering this service to those who need it.

"We monitor the health of folks as they're consuming. We're able to reverse overdoses as they happen and having that opportunity to have health care is important," she said.

Eisenhauer told CTV News she feels the supervised consumption site is needed.

"We know that the coroners' report is looking at 8 deaths per day in Ontario which is staggering," she says.

"With Sudbury having so many losses it's really important this service be provided."

CTV News reached out to the city to ask if it would continue to financially support the site after the December 2023 deadline.

In a statement, a spokesperson said:

"City Council and staff have been supporting the implementation of solutions to address the effects of the opioid crisis in Greater Sudbury and its effects on people experiencing homelessness, addictions and mental health issues," and "City Council will make a decision on additional funding based on the annual budget process."