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<b>For Immediate Release</b><b>
</b><b>December 3, 2024</b>
<h2><strong>Sanguen Health Centre Responds to Passage of Bill 223 and Impending Closure of Kitchener CTS</strong></h2>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Yesterday marked a devastating day for Ontario. Bill 223, which forces the closure of many supervised consumption sites across the province through changes to zoning laws, has passed through expedited measures , paving the way for the Kitchener CTS to shut down in March 2025. This decision, made through an undemocratic voice vote with no recorded accountability from elected officials, represents a tragic failure of leadership and an affront to the fundamental right to life protected under Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">In Ontario, seven people die every day due to the toxic drug supply. Evidence from across the globe shows that supervised consumption sites save lives. The Kitchener CTS is a testament to this fact, with over 55,000 visits since opening in 2019, more than 1,000 overdoses safely managed, and </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">zero deaths</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees the right to life, liberty, and security of the person. Willfully shutting down an evidence based life-saving service like the CTS violates these rights. The government’s actions today prioritize ideology over evidence and abstinence-only treatment over comprehensive care, pushing vulnerable Ontarians further into harm’s way.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The announcement of 19 HART (Health and Recovery Treatment) Hubs with only 375 supportive housing beds across Ontario cannot replace the critical role of harm reduction services like the CTS. While we welcome and support the addition of treatment options, they cannot and will not address the scale of this crisis alone. Not everyone is ready—or will ever be ready—for abstinence-based programs, and their right to life cannot be conditional on readiness for treatment.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">We are deeply concerned about the nine-month gap anticipated between the closure of the CTS and the opening of the HART Hubs. Hundreds of lives will be lost during this delay. Public drug use will surge, with overdoses occurring in emergency rooms, public bathrooms, and on sidewalks, placing an unsustainable burden on already-strained emergency services and healthcare systems.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The reality is that treatment is rarely a one-time solution. Success often requires multiple attempts and robust support systems. With existing long wait times for voluntary treatment, the closure of harm reduction sites will only exacerbate the crisis for those seeking help.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">At Sanguen Health Centre, we are heartbroken by this cruel and shortsighted decision. We are immensely proud of the Kitchener CTS team for their unwavering dedication to providing safety and dignity to our community’s most vulnerable. We stand with them and with the people we serve, knowing that their lives matter and that harm reduction and treatment must coexist to address this crisis effectively.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">We will continue to look for ways to keep folks alive as we believe everyone in our community has the right to healthcare, safety, and dignity, regardless of their personal health, mental health or housing status.</span>

<b>Key Statistics from Kitchener CTS:</b>
<ul>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><b>55,000 visits</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> since 2019</span></li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><b>1,000+ overdoses</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> safely managed</span></li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><b>Zero deaths</b></li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Minimal calls to 911</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">The evidence is clear: Consumption and Treatment Services save lives. The decision to shut them down will cost lives and money. We urge the residents of Waterloo Region to stand with us and demand better.</span>
<h2><b>For Media Inquiries:</b><b>
</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">Julie Kalbfleisch</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">
</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Director of Fundraising and Communications</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">
</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sanguen Health Centre</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">
</span><a href="mailto:jkalbfleisch@sanguen.com"><span style="font-weight: 400;">jkalbfleisch@sanguen.com</span></a></h2>
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