Provincial money will flow to Belleville as the southeastern Ontario city deals with an ongoing drug overdose crisis, Premier Doug Ford says.
The premier’s pledge came a day after Belleville Mayor Neil Ellis called on the province to provide $2 million to help the city finish work on an already planned social and health services hub project.
Ford didn’t say exactly how much funding Belleville can expect when asked about the mayor’s comments at an unrelated press conference Tuesday, but he did say financial help is on the way.
“We’re going to try to support them, they need an influx of money right away – we’re going to get that done,” Ford said.
Global News reached out to the premier’s office to confirm how much money the city can expect, and when the funding will be delivered.
The request was passed onto the Minister of Health’s office, which promised more details on “immediate solutions” in the coming days.
“The province is in receipt of the submission from Canadian Mental Health Association Hastings Prince Edward (CMHA HPE),” said ministry spokesperson, Hannah Jensen, in an emailed statement.
“As this submission is for a project that will take years to be operational, we are working with CMHA HPE and other local partners on immediate solutions.”
Work is already underway for the social and health services hub known as “The Bridge,” but the city has said it needs the additional $2 million from the province to move the project forward.
Sheila Braidek, the executive director of the Belleville and Quinte West Community Centre and co-chair of The Bridge Integrated Care Hub, has said the city needs a well-staffed central location where unhoused people can access food, showers, primary health care, substance use supports and other services.
Ellis has said with provincial funding the care hub could be open by this fall or winter.
Ford said Tuesday he has personally spoken with Ellis and added he plans to sit down with the mayor to talk about longer-term solutions such as building a community health hub.
Belleville is also asking for funds to establish a detox centre, which it says would be a crucial component in the fight against addictions and toxic supplies of street drugs.
The city declared the state of emergency Thursday after crews were called to 17 overdoses in just 24 hours on Feb. 6.
The majority of the overdoses happened within a two-hour window in the city’s downtown core, which forced police to take the unusual move of asking the public to avoid the downtown during the surge in ambulance traffic.
Hastings-Quinte Paramedic Services Chief Carl Bowker has said emergency responders believe they are dealing with a poisoned drug supply.
The opioid crisis has gripped the province for years and deaths have nearly doubled since 2019, with a significant spike since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020.
— with files from The Canadian Press