Ontario Premier Doug Ford says Toronto’s application to decriminalize drugs is the “craziest thing” he’s ever heard and he plans to do everything he can to fight it.
Ford made the remarks during an interview with radio host Alex Pierson on 640 Toronto Friday.
The premier discussed a number of topics during the interview, including safe injection sites and Toronto’s application to have drugs decriminalized in the city for personal use.
On the topic of decriminalizing drugs, Ford said it’s the “craziest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“Go out to Vancouver, go out to San Francisco,” he said, referring to those cities’ drug crises.
“I will do everything I can to fight this. Again, this goes up to the federal government. They cannot be following up with the request.
“It would be an absolute disaster for our city.”
Earlier this year, Toronto updated its decriminalization request to the federal government, clarifying it wants a Health Canada exemption to cover young people as well as adults, and all drugs for personal use.
The city’s submission, an update to its initial January 2022 request, indicates Toronto wants the federal agency to go further than the exemption it recently granted to British Columbia under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
It makes clear the city wants its exemption to apply to all drugs for personal use and shield young people from criminalization, a departure from the B.C. exemption, which only applies to adults and lists a select number of substances.
Medical officer of health Dr. Eileen de Villa said at the time that the submission sent to Health Canada, co-signed by the city’s police chief and city manager, is a “made-in-Toronto” model reflective of a months-long consultation process.
“We’re talking about a matter of health and a matter of human rights, not one that really is meant to be addressed or is best addressed with a criminal justice approach,” she said in an interview. “That’s why we’re pursuing this route.”
Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health requested an exemption from Health Canada to decriminalize personal possession of drugs in 2022, it was also supported by Toronto Police Service and the Chief of Police.
When asked for a response to Ford’s comments and for the mayor’s opinion on Toronto’s decriminalization request, Shirven Rezvany, a spokesperson for Olivia Chow, only noted that the request, made by the medical officer of health, was support by the Toronto Police Service and chief of police.
In the interview, Ford also commented on safe injection sites in the city.
Last week, a fight broke out next to a safe injection site in Toronto’s Leslieville neighbourhood. A mother of two young children, 44-year-old Karolina Huebner-Makurat, died after she was hit by stray bullets from the fight. Area residents had expressed safety concerns about the safe injection site in the months leading up to the shooting.
Witnesses told Global News the suspects involved in the shooting were at the site dealing drugs.
Ford said safe injection sites need to be in compliance with rules and if not, “we’ll be looking into it.”
He said applications to open sites are subject to “rigorous screening,” including evidence of community support, and plans to address community concerns on an ongoing basis.
“I’ve directed our team to look into this site and to make sure they’re in compliance. If they aren’t in compliance, that’s it. They’re done,” he said.
“These people need to go to a treatment centre. Putting a safe injection site into a community — what does it attract? It attracts drug dealers. It’s unacceptable.”
Ford said the site, which is a provincial centre, was opened under the previous Liberal government.
“We have to monitor it…. But we did not put that that site in and what’s happening is unacceptable,” he said, despite being the premier for the past five years.
“If they aren’t in compliance, they have to move on. But when that happens, everyone’s going to be shouting and screaming. You know the far-left are going to be shouting and screaming, saying, ‘You don’t care about these people.’
“No, I do care about the community, number one. I care about someone who has is addicted to drugs that they need to go get proper treatment.”
He said if the community doesn’t want the site there, then “it shouldn’t be there.”
Ford told 640 Toronto he’s going to make more beds available for drug addiction treatment.
“So that’s what we’re doing. We’re going to go full steam on this and I’ll be able to come back on after we review this and tell you exactly what we’re going to be doing,” Ford said.
Ford said it is ultimately up to the City of Toronto to ensure safe consumption sites are in compliance with rules.
But in reference to the Leslieville site near where the shooting took place, Rezvany said that’s not actually the case.
“There is a provincially-approved consumption and treatment service located at South Riverdale Community Health Centre,” Rezvany said.
“It is funded by the Province of Ontario through the Consumption and Treatment Services (CTS) program. SRCHC receives funding from multiple sources and levels of government and is governed by an independent board of directors. The City of Toronto is not responsible for the oversight or operation of programs at SRCHC, including the CTS.”
Rezvany said there is a need for a “broad range” of health and social services, including mental health support and substance use treatment programs.
“The local councillor is also engaged on the issue and is working with the CHC to develop a plan in collaboration with the local community and police to address safety issues,” Rezvany concluded.
Toronto Coun. Paula Fletcher, who represents the ward, previously told 640 Toronto that she has been asking the injection site and police to work more closely together. She said the relationship between the two needs to “be improved immediately.”
Fletcher said the site hasn’t been listening to the “great concerns of the community.”
She said she also directed community members to speak with the community liaison at the site to express concerns, but noted that the site is a provincial centre working under a federal exemption.
“I can’t reach into that centre the way I would if it was a City centre of some kind,” Fletcher said.
“So I have to say to the board of that centre, to the staff of that centre, you’re not listening. You have to sort this out immediately with the community. I don’t know where this is going to end up, but the City can’t close this place down. We don’t have that jurisdiction.”
The premier also called for tougher bail laws in his interview with 640 Toronto, saying the federal government’s bill that aims to reform the bail system needs to be passed as quickly as possible. He said he was disappointed to see that it wasn’t passed before the government’s summer break.
It was revealed Thursday that a man facing a second-degree murder charge in the death of Huebner-Makurat was out on bail and has a lengthy criminal history.
Ford also claimed that if there were more police officers in communities, some of the crime that has happened could’ve been avoided.
— with files from Catherine McDonald and The Canadian Press
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