Ontario’s official Opposition is calling out the provincial government’s response to an ongoing overdose crisis in Belleville.
Belleville Mayor Neil Ellis said Tuesday that the province did not commit to a $2-million funding request to help kick-start construction of a centralized hub that would offer addictions and mental health services and money to open a detox centre.
The funding request came after the city declared a state of emergency earlier this month over a rash of drug-related calls for first responders that included 17 drug overdoses in 24 hours in the city’s downtown core Feb. 6.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford‘s government has said it needs to see a business plan before funding the proposed health and social services hub.
That doesn’t sit well with Lisa Gretzky, MPP for Windsor West and official Opposition critic for Mental Health and Addictions, who accused the premier of “leaving the people of Belleville to deal with this crisis themselves.”
On Wednesday Gretzky called on the government to provide the funding requested by Belleville’s mayor.
“I am calling on the Conservatives to immediately provide funding for this desperately needed service hub and detox centre, and commit to reliable, ongoing support to address the addictions and mental health crisis,” Gretzky said in a media release.
“There’s no time to waste, we owe it to the people of Belleville and every municipality in this province to have their backs. Lives depend on it.”
In an interview with Global News Tuesday, area MPP Todd Smith said the city should have come to him and his government with more details and a costed-out plan.
The province has provided one-time stabilization funding, amounting to $216,000, to increase the number of first responders in downtown Belleville and increase staffing at local outreach services.
Ellis said Tuesday that the city will go it alone — digging into its own operating budget to find the money — if the province won’t step up.
“If we have to do it by ourselves, that’s what we’ll do,” Ellis said. “We can’t wait.”
— with files from The Canadian Press
Comments