Like many communities in Ontario, Toronto's Kensington Market is seeing a sharp rise in drug poisoning and fatal overdoses.
While the provincial government should be working with community stakeholders to address the opioid crisis, its causes, and consequences in a comprehensive way, the Ford government has gutted the very programs that help by:
- cutting funding to St Stephen’s Community House Overdose Prevention Site,
- cutting more than $330 million from mental health and addiction programs to help people get effective treatment, and
- cutting funding to municipal and housing programs, meaning the City cannot provide enough permanent homes to people experiencing homelessness, or enough support to manage safety issues.
Add your name below to call on Premier Doug Ford and Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Michael Tibollo to treat the opioid and drug poisoning crisis with the urgency it deserves by:
- restoring funding to the St Stephen’s Overdose Prevention Site,
- increasing funding for affordable housing and supportive housing that matches the need,
- increasing funding for mental health and addiction programs so Ontarians can get effective treatment without worrying about the cost, and
- working with the City of Toronto to fund a comprehensive community-led SafeTO plan to address safety in a community-led manner.
Download and print a petition here.