The supervised consumption site at the Region of Peel building near Chinguacousy Park in Brampton is shutting down on March 31, 2025. The Ontario government’s decision to close the site has sparked renewed debate over harm reduction strategies, public safety, and the impact of these facilities on local communities.
The site opened in March 2024 as part of an effort to combat the opioid crisis. It provided a space for drug users to consume substances under medical supervision, with access to primary healthcare and addiction services. But from the start, the location brought opposition from local officials and concerned residents.
One of the most vocal critics of the policies behind these sites has been MP Kevin Vuong of Spadina-Fort York. “I don’t believe drug injection sites should be near children, schools & daycares,” Vuong posted on X. “I care about helping those suffering to break the cycle of addiction,” he says, but the sites “shouldn’t be by children.”
Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown and local councillors had also opposed the site, arguing that its proximity to Chinguacousy Park—one of the city’s busiest public spaces—was not appropriate. “Parks and public spaces are the heart of our communities,” Brown said in a statement. “They should be places of joy and gathering, not overshadowed by unsafe drug policies.”
Despite no reports of needles or emergency calls related to this site, concerns about public safety have persisted, largely due to high-profile incidents in other cities. In Toronto, the 2023 death of Karolina Huebner-Makurat, who was killed by a stray bullet near a safe injection site, intensified criticism of these facilities. Local residents even launched a class-action lawsuit against the South Riverdale Community Health Centre, citing increased crime and safety concerns in the neighbourhood.
Vuong has consistently pointed to such incidents as proof that these sites are failing communities rather than helping them. “The NDP is a party that puts ideology before people,” he wrote on X. “With an NDP MPP and city councillor, our community has seen & lived this dangerous reality.”
The debate over supervised consumption sites has been particularly heated in Ontario, where Premier Doug Ford’s government has taken a hard stance against expanding them. Bill 223, the Safer Streets, Stronger Communities Act, passed in December 2024, requires explicit provincial approval for any municipality to operate such a site—effectively sealing the fate of the Peel facility.
Peel Public Health has promised to continue supporting harm reduction efforts despite the site’s closure. “We know substance use is a complex issue, and it’s important that residents know they are not alone,” said Nando Iannicca, Peel Region Chair. The region plans to expand mobile harm reduction services and strengthen its opioid strategy to fill the gap left by the shuttered facility.
Vuong has called for a complete overhaul of Canada’s drug policies, insisting that harm reduction without treatment is not a real solution. “Canada’s drug policy needs reform, and the NDP must pay an electoral price for ignoring communities,” he said.
For now, the closure of Peel’s supervised consumption site marks another shift in Ontario’s approach to tackling the opioid crisis – a crisis that continues to divide politicians, health advocates, and everyday citizens.
lead photo Canmenwalker, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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