Ontario tables legislation that will force closure of nearly half of the province’s supervised consumption sites

The Ontario government has tabled legislation to prohibit supervised consumption sites in proximity to schools and child care centres, as well as require municipalities and local boards to seek provincial approval for new locations – following through on a plan announced in the aftermath of a fatal shooting outside a facility in Toronto.Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones announced in August that government’s plan would result in the closure of 10 sites, which account for nearly half of all facilities in the province. The announcement followed a review of supervised consumption facilities that was prompted by the death of a 44-year-old mother of two who was killed by a stray bullet outside the South Riverdale Community Health Centre in east Toronto in the summer of last year.