Toronto’s implementation of a series of drug injection sites and homeless respite centres in the downtown area began as a commendable notion, surely devised by people whose hearts were in the right place.
The idea was this: Instead of criminalizing the behaviour of those experiencing crippling drug addiction, homelessness, or both, several city locations would be opened especially designated for such people to use drugs and find shelter without fear of harassment or bodily harm. The whole concept was meant to help the poor and downtrodden find some relief from their harsh existence. If they could only get away from the dangerous streets, the police, and the prying eyes of the judgmental general public, so went the prevailing line of thought, they would finally have the space they needed to rebuild their lives for the better.
Admirable, right? In theory, perhaps. But the reality turned out to be quite different.
The problem was that these well-meaning initiatives were rolled out without the necessary planning, transparency, or community engagement. As a consequence, instead of creating safe havens for the vulnerable, they’ve effectively introduced new dangers to neighbourhoods that were already struggling. Take St. Mary Catholic Elementary School as an example. The school, located on the west end of downtown in the Bathurst and Queen area, is now sandwiched between a drug injection site and a proposed homeless respite centre—both within a block of where children study and play. Parents have reported finding used needles and drug paraphernalia on the school’s grounds, creating a terrifying and unsafe environment for their children.
This isn’t an isolated incident. Across the city, similar stories continue to unfold. In the Leslieville neighbourhood, the children attending Morse Street Junior Public School, are just half a block away from another injection site. At the Waterfront School near Bathurst Quay, students face the same situation with a nearby shared shelter and an injection site. Residents have expressed their concerns, but their voices seem to fall on deaf ears. A local resident recently described the situation at Bathurst Quay, where the dead body of an overdose victim was found near a playground, as a “magnet for Toronto’s drug dealers.”
These communities are becoming measurably more dangerous for families. This is not what they were promised, nor what they have a right to expect.
Addiction experts have long made the point that injection sites must be part of a broader strategy that includes prevention and treatment. Simply offering places to use hard drugs without addressing the root causes of addiction or providing pathways to recovery is not enough. It’s a band-aid solution, and not a very good one, at that. Dr. Michael Parkinson, a drug strategies specialist and a recognized authority on addiction, once stated, “Injection sites need to be coupled with comprehensive services that aim to get people off the streets and into treatment. Without that, we’re just managing decay, not preventing it.”
There is another level to this problem: The decision to push forward and establish more injection sites and respite centres is being made mostly without public consultation, leaving the affected communities feeling ignored and powerless. The lack of transparency in the process is also unacceptable, especially when the safety of our children is at stake. Toronto’s leaders must remember that they represent the people and have a duty to listen to the concerns of the very citizens they serve. These initiatives are funded by taxpayer dollars, and the public deserves a say in how those funds are spent. This isn’t about saying “Not in my backyard!” as so many are accused of when raising legitimate concerns; it’s about making sure that our proverbial backyards—the spaces where our children play and grow—are safe.
The solution isn’t to shut down these facilities but to manage them better. We need to involve the community in these decisions and make sure that the safety of children and families is a top priority. If we’re going to have these sites near schools, we must ensure they are paired with adequate security, clean-up services, and most importantly, access to treatment and rehabilitation programs.
Injection sites and respite centres are a compassionate idea. We all want to help the unfortunate souls experiencing drug addiction and homelessness. But to do that effectively, we must strike a balance between helping them and protecting our communities, especially our children. By listening to residents, prioritizing safety, and expanding the harm reduction campaign that spawned injection sites and respite centres to include an emphasis on prevention and treatment, we can create a system that truly supports everyone. Toronto’s future depends on it.
Our children deserve to grow up in safe environments, and it’s up to all of us to ensure that happens.