Ontario’s opioid strategy, last updated in 2016, is failing to meet today’s needs, Auditor General Shelley Spence revealed in her annual report.
Over 2,600 Ontarians died from overdoses last year, most due to opioid toxicity.
While speaking about the report, Health Minister Sylvia Jones once again focused on the planned homelessness and addiction recovery treatment hubs.
While the report did praised the idea of these facilities, it noted that the closure of supervised consumption sites by 2025 could worsen the crisis.
The report says the province hasn’t effectively mitigated the dangers of closing supervised consumption sites or consulted stakeholders.
Critics argue the government’s shift from harm reduction to abstinence-based recovery ignores science and could lead to more preventable deaths.
The report says these sites reversed over 1,600 overdoses last year without fatalities.
Written by: Matt LeBlanc
