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DRUGS

Consumption and treatment services

Consumption and Treatment Services (CTS)* help save lives and create safer communities. They provide a clean, safe and non-judgemental space for people to use their own drugs under the care of medical and non-medical staff. As relationships are developed with clients they are offered referrals to primary care, treatment, and other health and social services.

*In Ontario, Supervised Consumption Sites (SCS) are referred to as Consumption and Treatment Services (CTS). These names refer to the same services and can be used interchangeably.  

UPDATE:

Two separate applications were submitted, one to Health Canada (federal) and one to the Ministry of Health (MOH, provincial) on October 7, 2021, by CMHA Simcoe County Branch (CMHA SCB) as the applicant. The following information will provide you with the status of the two applications to date.

Health Canada:

  • We received communication from Health Canada on September 9, 2022, confirming that the exemption to section 56.1 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act has been granted.
  • This exemption is required to permit the use of illegal substances at a CTS. Receiving this exemption is the first step towards creating a CTS in Barrie.

Ministry of Health:

  • We are still awaiting approval of the operational application and operating budget by the Ministry of Health.
  • We are also required to complete a capital application to the Ministry of Health to fund the necessary site renovations, and this application is ready to submit if the operational application is approved.

The federal and provincial government review processes for both applications have been thorough in review of all elements, aspects, polices and procedures.

The federal and provincial government review processes for both applications have been thorough in review of all elements, aspects, polices and procedures.

Although we have been granted the Health Canada exemption there are still outstanding application approvals and significant renovations to accomplish before a CTS service is established in Barrie. A CTS is still desperately needed in Barrie to prevent overdose deaths, to reduce public drug use and improperly discarded needles, and to help connect people who use drugs to other health and social services that they may want but have difficulty accessing, including mental health and addictions treatment, primary care, and housing.

Applying for an CTS in Barrie is just one example of the collaborative community work that is underway in the region to address opioid use and overdoses. See more community actions here. 

  • Planning for the creation of a CTS Advisory Committee focused on operations and mitigations 
  • Ongoing engagement with residents, businesses and people who use drugs Community CTS awareness and education planning 
  • Ongoing communication with Health Canada and the Ministry of Health about the submitted CTS applications (see more information in the Completed section below)

A timeline is difficult to establish as we are seeking approvals and decisions from our provincial and federal governments. The following are some of the steps we currently anticipate:

  • Pending provincial approval
  • Mobilization of resources and staffing
  • Physical site modifications
  • Consumption and Treatment Services in operation

Health Canada Application

An exemption to section 56.1 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act was granted on September 9, 2022

CTS Applications Submitted

The provincial funding application to the Ministry of Health (Consumption and Treatment Services: Application Guide) was submitted on October 7, 2021.

The application for an exemption to Section 56.1 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) from Health Canada was submitted on October 7, 2021.Documents of interest from the application:

Focused neighbour and business feedback meetings (July 2021)

Meetings for those who live close to 11 Innisfil St, as well as the business tenants at 80 Bradford Street, were completed on July 14th, 2021.  The purpose of the meetings was to engage the neighbours and businesses, within close proximity of the proposed site, in further discussion of the drafted operation plans and mitigation strategies and to strategize solutions to some of the concerns they have. 

SCS Business Meeting Mintues (July 14, 2021)

SCS Resident Meeting Minutes (July 14, 2021)

Community Consultation Overview (October 2020 - April 2021)

Q&A from Neighbourhood sessions

Neighbourhood Consultation for a Proposed Supervised Consumption Site in Barrie - Optimus SBR 

Community Survey on Proposed Locations for a Supervised Consumption Site in Barrie:  Additional Sites (May 2021; Additional analysis included September 2021)

Community Summary on Proposed Locations for an SCS in Ward 2 Barrie:  Summary Report (January 2021)

Barrie City Council Supervised Consumption Site (SCS) Engagement Sessions:  Summary of Findings (December 2020- January 2021) 

Site Selection Advisory Committee

To review monthly updates (Sept 2019 - May 2021) please see:  

Site Selection Advisory Committee webpage

The site selected for a Barrie CTS is 11 Innisfil St., (80 Bradford St. Unit 940). This location received Barrie City Council endorsement on May 31, 2021.

This site presents the best balance between serving clients effectively and ensuring an acceptable fit within the surrounding community.  Benefits of the site include:
 
  • Being near to people who would use it while being off the main street
  • Having a separate entrance from the other services available close by, providing a less stigmatizing environment and more privacy for the clients
  • Having wrap around services in the building and nearby, including those of CMHA SCB, SMDHU, and several other health and social service agencies
  • Being large enough to accommodate touchdown services on site

We recognize the confusion created by the different addresses associated with the chosen space. When we conducted our property search this site came to us as 80 Bradford St. unit 940. When we released the potential site locations in a media release, Mr. Steve Sperling (property owner/landlord) gave a public statement referring to the site location as 19 Innisfil St. It has since been brought to the attention of the co-applicants by Mr. Sperling, Landlord and Rob Nicholson, General Manager of the Aerarium Group that the preferred reference to the site location should be 11 Innisfil St. recognizing that the legal address remains 80 Bradford St. Unit 940. At that time, we asked the realtor volunteering on the SCS Site Selection Advisory Committee to confirm the correct address and before we went to community consultation, Mr. Sperling reaffirmed that he uses the 19 Innisfil Street address for this section of the building.  Further explanation of the request to refer to the site as 11 Innisfil St. can be found in a letter provided to the Canadian Mental Health Association, as lead applicant by The Aerarium Group.  

CTS help save lives and create safer communities. CTS are part of a harm reduction approach that aims to provide:

  • Overdose prevention (naloxone, oxygen)
  • Harm reduction supplies including needles and other safer drug use equipment
  • Client education
  • Connection to a variety of services including: addictions treatment, health care, mental health, housing and/or social supports.

The benefits of CTS include:

  • Reduced rates of overdose deaths and hospital visits
  • Reduced public drug use and needles discarded in the community
  • Increased access to other services including access to treatment when people are ready
  • Reduced spread of blood borne infections like HIV and hepatitis C
  • Reduced stigma related to substance use
  • Cost effectiveness
For more information on opioids or supervised consumption sites call Health Connection 705-721-7520 or toll-free 1-877-721-7520.
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