Regional council votes to push province to keep CTS sites running

Brightly lit cubicles stand in a row at the Consumption treatment and services site at 150 Duke Street West in Kitchener on Sept. 18, 2024. (Krista Simpson/CTV News)

Region of Waterloo councillors passed a motion to ask the province to reverse its decision to close consumption sites.

Last month, the provincial government announced many CTS sites will be forced to close, including the one in Kitchener, due to safety concerns.

On Wednesday at a regional council meeting, Councillor Jim Erb’s motion passed by a vote of 13 to 2 – with the majority of councillors agreeing to join local advocates who hope to throw local CTS sites a lifeline.

“What is Doug Ford thinking? This is something that’s saving lives,” said Barbara Hill, the team lead with Supportive Housing Advocacy Waterloo Region.

Hill’s organization delivered an open letter to the province last week to try to push the province to keep CTS sites opened.

Michael Parkinson, a drug strategy specialist said it’s a matter of life and death.

“People are going to die. It is not a question of whether there is something else available for the people that are served by the consumption service. There is not,” he said.

Parkinson said he expects a similar motion to go in front of Kitchener city council in the future but he fears it won’t be enough.

“There is little about this current provincial government that has demonstrated respect for the wishes and the freedoms invested in local municipalities,” he said.

Hill said she’s not optimistic anything can be done to save the sites.

“I just don’t think they’re listening to the people and the data.”

As it stands now the CTS sites in Kitchener and Guelph are among those mandated by the province to close by March.