As a temporary HART Hub opens in downtown Toronto following the Ontario government’s move away from safe consumption services, seniors at a residence above the clinic have raised concerns with the facility.
CityNews spoke with residents who said they were blind-sided after a clinic opened on the main floor of their co-op building on The Esplanade. It’s also steps away from a daycare and elementary school.
“We have not been informed in any way, shape or form and that’s the thing that’s a problem,” one resident said.
Seniors gathered outside the clinic, believing it was a supervised consumption site. Some said there was no information provided by the City of Toronto and the clinic’s address is sending people right to their door step.
“Some of the people going in there were knocking our doors saying, ‘Is this the injection site?’ and they’re coming into our lobby,” a resident said.
As of April 1, Toronto Public Health no longer provides safe consumption services after the Ontario government forced sites to close and shift to a different delivery model. It’s a decision that is currently being battled in court.
The City of Toronto is now transitioning to HART (Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment) hubs. The hubs are funded by the provincial government.
Coun. Chris Moise, who is also chair of Toronto’s board of health, told CityNews there were public consultations about the clinic. He said because the clinic is considered a medical office, there are no zoning restrictions.
“It’s health care. These measures do save lives,” Moise said.
“It is a medical facility with a medical doctor and by appointment only. There are no drop-ins, so I really don’t see the harm in actually having such a facility there.”
Toronto recorded 523 opioid overdose deaths in 2023 and it’s a crisis that continues today.
Community advocate Diana Chan McNally said she fears the situation will only worsen without safe consumption services.
“Right now, it’s bad. I know somebody has already found somebody dead on the street who has overdosed and as I said, we are likely going to see much, much more of this,” she said.
Chan McNally said medical facilities like the HART Hub are nothing to be feared and while they do not provide harm reduction, they do deliver other essential services to the community.
“The reality is that we all deserve to be here and we all deserve the services that are necessary for our health and our well-being,” she said.
While the HART Hub is operating at this location, officials said extra supports such as outreach teams, solid waste management, needle pick-up and park ambassadors are being deployed to the neighbourhood.
