Archive link: https://web.archive.org/web/20240903213748/https://www.guelphtoday.com/letters-to-the-editor/letter-shutting-down-supervised-consumption-sites-will-solve-nothing-9466227

LETTER: Shutting down supervised consumption sites will solve nothing

'There will be more needles on the ground that haven’t been properly disposed of. There will be more incidents of people being under the influence of drugs in public places,' a reader writes

GuelphToday received the following letter about our article, Province orders Guelph's supervised consumption site closed by March.

Guelph Today readers might know me from my articles in the Then and Now column about Guelph’s history. However, after seeing a protest that took place downtown concerning the provincial government’s ban on supervised drug consumption sites, I feel compelled to say something about a present-day issue that will certainly have future implications.

A few years ago, someone very close to my family died because of drugs. For privacy reasons I won’t use his real name, so let’s just call him John. The street drug that killed him was fentanyl. It was not injected, but John was nonetheless a victim of the opioid epidemic that has taken so many other lives. Personal problems had led to John’s drug use and eventual addiction. He tried to get free of it, but couldn’t. He needed professional help and he tried to get it.

Unfortunately for him, there was a waiting list of more than a year for the government sponsored program. Treatment at a private clinic was very expensive and beyond his financial means. And so one night, when he was alone in his room, the fentanyl took him away, forever. The pain of that loss is still with us, though.

At the time of John’s very untimely death, and quite often since, I have wondered if he might have been saved if only professional help had been more accessible. What if he’d been able to get into a program as readily as people access care for other health problems?

Some politicians – and many of their supporters – will say, well, there just isn’t any money for those programs. And yet, there are people who have argued that such programs not only save lives, but also taxpayers’ money because, among other financial benefits, over time they reduce the enormous costs of law enforcement by reducing drug-related crime. Meanwhile, governments apparently can afford to spend millions of dollars on populist policies like putting alcohol in corner stores.

One cannot help but wonder if the decision to ban supervised drug consumption sites has more to do with populist politics than anything else, because it seems to follow a pattern. During the Covid pandemic we saw politicians pander to anti-vaxxers in what was a flagrant abandonment of responsibility. That was a dangerous and disgraceful move that is still causing problems; note the resurgence of such vaccine-preventable illnesses as polio, measles and whooping cough. The same politicians now denounce the supervised consumption sites in rants that include such terms as “drug dens”, “woke” and “whacko,” as well as derogatory names for medical experts – a reckless and irresponsible use of loaded rhetoric that has come to be associated with the tactic called rage-farming. One would suspect that those politicians are more interested in saying whatever they think will resonate with their voter base than in doing the actual difficult job of dealing with a major health problem.

Shutting down the supervised consumption sites will solve nothing. There will be more needles on the ground that haven’t been properly disposed of. There will be more incidents of people being under the influence of drugs in public places. There will be fewer places where people in the grip of addiction can get help. And for those who overdose or fall victim to a lethal batch, there will be no help at hand, and they will die. Like John.

Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20240829145650/https://www.guelphtoday.com/local-news/council-approves-controversial-public-space-use-draft-bylaw-9449602

Council approves controversial public space use draft bylaw

Bylaw, which will dictate where encampments can and cannot be, will return for final approval in September

Guelph city council is moving forward with a controversial bylaw that would restrict homeless encampments on city property.

After a seven-and-a-half-hour meeting with an hour-long in-camera legal discussion, five hours' of hearing from 45 delegations, and a protest beforehand, council voted 10-3 in favour of the draft bylaw.

The bylaw would ban encampments in spaces with competing public use during daytime hours, establish separation distances between encampments and school properties, childcare centres, railways, waterways and cemeteries. This also includes spaces used by pets, children, sidewalks, pathways and recreational trails for instance.

Building supplies, water or refuse could not be gathered and stored on city property unless kept inside a permissible temporary structure.

In areas where encampments are permitted, up to five structures or shelters would be allowed, though they must be distanced from other encampment groupings and school or childcare centres.

Staff noted there would be no set fines associated with the bylaw, though if people don’t comply, a trespass could follow, after which it could progress further.

This is the second time the bylaw has been presented to council. The first time was in February, with protesters storming city hall and tensions high throughout. It was deferred until after the appeal court ruling was released and analyzed regarding a challenge of a similar bylaw in Kingston that was ruled unconstitutional.

But the Kingston appeal was withdrawn without being heard in the spring, and the proposed bylaw was removed from Guelph’s to-do list, stopping all engagement.

In mid-August, Mayor Cam Guthrie requested the unchanged draft bylaw be presented once again to council at the special council meeting held Wednesday night.

Councillors Erin Caton, Phil Allt and Linda Busuttil voted against.

An amendment brought forward by Counc. Carly Klassen was also passed, with Caton, Allt and Busuttil voting against, for the bylaw to specifically cover the entirety of St. George’s Square and Market Square as sensitive public areas.

While tensions perhaps weren't as high this time, with no security intervention needed, the sentiments shared among both sides remained the same.

Of the 45 delegates who spoke, those against the bylaw voiced concerns the bylaw would only exacerbate the homelessness, mental health and drug poisoning crises that Guelph is currently facing by moving those living rough away from essential services downtown.

Council was repeatedly told the bylaw is discriminatory, had next to no public consultation and will bring the city expensive legal action.

Several times it was said by delegates, as well as Caton, the bylaw is criminalizing homelessness, though several councillors tried to assure the public that's not the case.

“We’re not saying no, we’re saying where. And I think that’s important context,” Coun. Dan Gibson said.

Those in favour largely cited safety concerns around issues like open drug use and physical altercations.

Michael Kennedy said he and his family avoid downtown and trails, and that his young daughter was “attacked by a homeless person” with things thrown at her; he mentioned encampments regularly engulfed in flames, and discarded used drug paraphernalia.

“Our downtown is now embarrassing,” he said.

Delegate Julio Rodriguez said the encampments downtown are repulsive monstrosities, and that doing hard drugs in a public space should never be the norm.

However, many delegates, including some councillors, noted the bylaw is merely a type of zoning bylaw and will not solve those issues.

Ella Elliot shared a story of her mother finding the decomposed remains of 24-year-old Cody Thompson while kayaking.

“The encampment that Cody’s body was found near was in what is going to be a fully permissible space, which means that he was not near any community resources at the time of his passing. As a direct result of that, we lost a young life, and that is going to continue if we let this pass.”

Every single dollar spent discussing the bylaw “could be spent actually solving the root causes… but we are choosing to prioritize the comfort of the people that shop downtown over the lives of people on the street, and that is despicable to me.”

Stephanie Clendenning, executive director of the Legal Clinic of Guelph and Wellington, also pointed to other cities that have faced and are facing litigation for similar bylaws, and said that if council think theirs is permissible, “you would be wrong.”

Hamilton, for instance, is just weeks away from a second round of litigation for charter violations from a similar bylaw. The decision, she said, will be binding on other municipalities including Guelph.

“So what are we doing here? Guelph is not above the law. You cannot legislate your way around it,” she said.

“(These delegations) completely validated the reasons why I wanted to bring this forward and call a special meeting,” said Mayor Cam Guthrie. “The bylaw, the way its been crafted with our professional staff has it laid out in a way that actually gives some regulation.”

Passed in the end, the remaining delegates shouted “shame” and “see you in court” as council left the chambers.

If the bylaw is approved for final adoption on Sept. 10, it will come into effect Oct. 1.

Archive link: https://web.archive.org/web/20240827203406/https://www.guelphtoday.com/local-news/guelph-resident-terrified-of-looming-cts-site-closure-9402009

Guelph resident ‘terrified’ of looming CTS site closure

Province announced last week nine provincially funded consumption sites and one self-funded site will have to stop providing safe consumption, safe supply and needle exchange services by the end of March

Guelph resident Aaron Samuel is ‘terrified’ of what his future holds after the province announced last week it would be shuttering most safe consumption sites around Ontario, including Guelph’s.

Samuel, 34, has been using the safe supply program since just after it launched in 2019.

“My fear is going back to the street, because I don’t want to anymore. I’ve taken myself out of that environment,” he said.

Before the program, he overdosed again and again. His relationship with his parents was “horrific,” his mental health atrocious. Every moment revolved around getting a fix. It’s not something he wants to return to.

But it might be, if he doesn’t figure something out before the program ends in March.

His decade-long addiction to opiates started when he was 18 and given a Percocet prescription.

As life unfolded, and Percocet became difficult to access, this eventually turned into a reliance on “the stronger stuff.”

“My tolerance kept going higher and higher.

“I feel like if I could (have just gone) somewhere to get exactly what I wanted, it wouldn’t have progressed as fast as it did,” he said.

He would sometimes shoplift, although mostly play guitar or panhandle to make enough money to buy drugs.

“I had no friends. All my old friends, I basically stopped talking to them. I didn’t want them to think I was a bad person.”

All that changed when he started the safe supply program.

He had tried numerous times to get clean, using methadone, detoxing, but nothing stuck.

Methadone helped, but he feels there was a lack of wraparound services to continue support.

Trying to get into rehab for long-term recovery is challenging. After detoxing, he was told it was an eight month wait, and to call every month to hold his position there. But it’s easy for the cycle to start back up in the interim.

Eventually he landed in a treatment facility in Ottawa, getting clean after a few months.

“I went to a completely new city; I didn’t know anyone, so I had no connections,” he said. “And then my dad died, so I came back to Guelph to help my mom and the cycle started again.”

He overdosed five times before landing in the program, where he said a nurse will ask what you use, how much you use, what your risk factors are, and go from there. The goal is to find the right amount of safe supply to avoid withdrawal symptoms and keep you stable.

He injects Dilaudid – a synthetic opioid called hydromorphone – seven times a day. The amount he gets is controlled, and is generally safer than street opioids because he knows the amount and its contents.

For Samuel, the medication gets dropped off every morning, “and you can go about your day,” he said.

Though he injects several times a day, besides a couple track marks, there are no obvious signs of his drug use. In fact, besides a spike-laden punk vest with a patch depicting a swastika thrown in the trash, there is nothing visibly differentiating him from anyone else, and you would probably never know unless he told you.

“When I tell people that, (they say) you don’t look like a junkie. Because other people have gaping sores and all these very serious health issues,” he said. But those issues often stem from “the unclean additives” in the drugs, whereas the pharmaceuticals accessed through safe supply are pure and by definition, safer.

Since starting the program, he’s repaired his relationship and trust with his mom, has maintained relationships, has joined a band and can keep a schedule.

“Before, I’d wake up, I’d be sick. I’d have to panhandle for five or six hours to get money to buy.”

By then it would be nighttime, he’d get high and start the process all over again.

“Now I wake up, I medicate, and I have the ability to do anything I want to do.”

He also gets Vyvanse – like Ritalin for ADHD – which he can’t get elsewhere due to his history of substance abuse.

“That’s the main benefit of the program – I’m properly medicated.”

But the province announced last week that nine provincially funded consumption sites and one self-funded site will have to stop providing safe consumption, safe supply and needle exchange services by the end of March.

The Guelph Community Health Centre’s Consumption and Treatment Services (CTS) site at 176 Wyndham St. is one of those affected because it is within 200 metres of a daycare or school.

A spokesperson for Ontario Minister of Health Sylvia Jones said community members across the province “have made it clear that the presence of drug consumption sites near schools and daycares is leading to serious safety problems,” and that the government agrees.

In place of the CTS sites, the government is investing in 19 Homelessness and Addiction Recovery (HART) hubs, which aim to provide primary care, mental health and addictions care, employment support, as well as other supplies and services like Naloxone, showers and food. They will also aim to add up to 375 supportive housing units, as well as addiction and recovery beds.

Countless experts have spoken out against the decision, saying it will lead to more deaths. Samuel agrees.

Samuel said the changes will only make things worse. Drug users won’t have a centralized location anymore, and will be spread out around downtown, where Samuel said they are anyway.

“Crime is never going to go away unless they address the causes of the crime – living wages, cost of living, rent, access to housing,” he said – not safe supply.

However, he said there is definitely a need for in-house trained security who can properly diffuse conflicts that arise in and outside of the facilities, something recent expert reports suggested as well.

Further wraparound supports are also needed.

Samuel himself has struggled to maintain a job for what he believes is stigma regarding his past, and said the expectation that they are supposed to use the program and then “suddenly rise up to the occasion and be the best person you can be” isn’t realistic; there needs to be more wraparound support, especially when it comes to securing and maintaining employment and housing.

“Wraparound is (more) than just going to a therapist,” he said. “A lot of these people don’t have the life experience to feel comfortable doing these things, and that’s what pushes them towards (drug use), and then they fail and get more depressed.”

Rehab isn’t the solution either.

“You go to rehab, you get off dope, and your tolerance goes down to zero. You try using (at your previous dosage) again with zero tolerance, ok you’re dead,” he said.

People have endless potential, he said, and deserve the chance to meet it.

“You have no idea of their potential, what they’re going to grow up and become. I could theoretically find the cure for cancer, but one day I get high and die. There’s the life potential of the individual that you’re saving, but then you have the expanding factor of it: the trauma that the death causes (for the) brother, sister, parent, child.

He hopes by the time the program closes, his life will be more stable with a job – “the thing I need to fill that void for the supply,” he said. “I don't know. I'm just gonna try and make sure I'm good by then.

“I'm stable now, and once it closes, my ultimate fear is it all goes back to square one, and then I can't play in the band anymore, I can't maintain this relationship with my mom and I'll be alone again.

“Am I just going to be another statistic where I overdose in a random back alley, someone finds me, and I go by the wayside,” he said. “I’m absolutely terrified.”

He’s also concerned about what the impact will mean for others, especially those currently sitting in worse positions.

Last year Guelph and Wellington County saw an all-time high of 62 drug poisoning deaths, according to the Guelph Wellington Drug Strategy. So far this year there have been 28.

Samuel said the spike in overdoses is because of toxic supply – “it’s either xylazine, nitazines or other zines.”

And when the program shuts down in March, he said those numbers will rise as people return to getting and using their drugs on the street.

“It’s going to (cause) hundreds of deaths. That’s what I think they don’t get – they think it’s going to solve everything. But people are going to keep using, you’re gonna see way more needles everywhere, you’re going to see a lot more people dying in the street, shooting up in the street.”

Province orders Guelph's supervised consumption site closed by March

'Make no mistake – Ontario will lose more lives because of this government’s attack on harm reduction services,' says MPP Mike Schreiner

Ontario Minister of Health, Sylvia Jones during her remarks at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference in Ottawa on Tuesday afternoon.

Mayor Cam Guthrie is confident the province’s new model for addiction recovery will show positive results cities have been seeking.

The province formally announced Tuesday afternoon that nine provincially-funded consumption sites and one self-funded site will have to stop providing certain services, namely supervised safe consumption, safe supply and needle exchange, by the end of March.

The Guelph Community Health Centre’s Consumption and Treatment Services (CTS) site at 176 Wyndham St. is one of those affected because it is within 200 metres of a daycare or school.

The government will instead put $378 million toward 19 new Homelessness and Addiction Recovery (HART) Hubs, said Sylvia Jones, Ontario Minister of Health in her remarks at  Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference in Ottawa.

The Guelph Community Health Centre is eligible to apply to be one of those hubs, which will focus on offering a variety of services aimed at recovery.

"I commend the provincial government for moving forward with a detailed plan to save lives, restore families and improve communities struggling with the stranglehold of addictions. I am confident that the new HART Hub model, focused on recovery, will show the positive results cities have been desperately requesting for our most vulnerable citizens, not just in Guelph, but across Ontario,” said Guthrie in a press release.

The mayor later posted on social media that he was now focusing his energy "on doing whatever it takes to review the criteria on an application to obtain part of the $378 million funding for a HART HUB in our community."

The province is banning consumption sites located within a 200 metre zone of schools or childcare centres.

The nine sites will be given the opportunity to transition into a HART Hub “and will be prioritized as part of the application process,” said Jones.

The applications close October this year, she said during a media question and answer period. 

“Our first priority must always be protecting our communities, especially when it comes to some of our most innocent and vulnerable - our children,” said Jones, in her speech.

Asked during a subsequent question period if people are going to die because of this move, given the number of overdoses trained staff respond to at the sites, Jones responded: "People are not going to die. They're going to get access to services."

The HART hubs aim to provide treatment including primary care, mental health and addictions care, social services, employment support, increased availability for shelter beds and supportive housing and other supplies and services like Naloxone, showers and food, she said.

“I want to be clear, they will not provide safe supply, supervised drug consumption or needle exchange programs,” said Jones. 

Guelph MPP Mike Schreiner slammed the move.

“Make no mistake – Ontario will lose more lives because of this government’s attack on harm reduction services," said Schreiner.

Closing supervised consumption and treatment sites is not going to decrease drug use because providing care for substance users is not an either-or scenario. Ontario needs supervised consumption and treatment sites and it needs supportive housing and it needs accessible treatment options for people in addictions recovery, Schreiner said in a release.

"This decision is going to lead to more drug poisonings, more infectious disease spread and more people with one less pathway to judgment-free social services and addictions recovery treatment."

The Guelph CHC CTS site launched in 2019. 

It started an overdose prevention site in 2018 as a temporary response to the city’s opioid crisis, according to a community consultation from 2019.

Guelph CHC, the Guelph Family Health Team and ARCH applied to the ministry of long-term care so it could offer CTS long-term. The application was successful. 

Now, it has just over seven months to stop offering some of its key services.

Archive link: https://web.archive.org/web/20240814200030/https://www.guelphtoday.com/local-news/rainbow-walkway-installed-at-the-university-of-guelph-9349410

Rainbow walkway installed at the University of Guelph

Painted flag ‘sends a strong message' of inclusion on campus

In advance of arriving students, University of Guelph officials have overseen the installation of a rainbow walkway.

A Progress Pride flag was painted on the path from Winegard Walk to the McLaughlin Library. Its installation was announced in a post on the school’s website Wednesday morning.

“This pride flag sends a strong message that U of G is committed to the path to equality for everyone on our campus. The rainbow walkway is part of a broader strategy to continue making our campus more inclusive,” said Indira Naidoo-Harris, associate vice-president of diversity and human rights, in the post. “It’s a colourful reminder that LGBTQ2IA+ individuals are celebrated at U of G.

“The rainbow walkway says that we all have a part to play in creating a welcoming environment for everyone.”

Guelph was home to two rainbow crosswalks, but this is the first rainbow walkway. There’s a privately-owned one outside Stone Road Mall, and a municipal crosswalk at the intersection of Norfolk Street and Waterloo Avenue.

The university’s installation was funded by its ‘Highest Priority fund,’ through which individual donors contribute to things such as student assistance, activities and set strategic plan initiatives.

Archive link: https://web.archive.org/web/20240807211605/https://www.guelphtoday.com/local-news/skyline-wants-to-build-12-storey-building-across-from-city-hall-9322386

Skyline wants to build 14-storey building across from city hall

Project proposed to include no parking spaces for residents or commercial tenants

A dozen levels may be added to a two-storey building across from city hall, with zero parking for residents or commercial tenants.

That’s the plan put forward by Skyline Retail Asset Management Inc. for its properties at 26-40 Carden St. and 27-39 Macdonell St. – the red brick building that straddles the two downtown streets.

If approved, the building is to include 120 residential units or student housing with 211 beds and 595.1 square metres of ground floor commercial space.

Skyline previously sought approval from the city’s committee of adjustment to add four storeys to the building, but that application was withdrawn. That plan also sought approval for zero parking spaces to be required.

A public meeting is slated for Sept. 10, in order for council to hear comments on proposed official plan and zoning amendments needed for the project to go ahead as-is. 

As it stands, the city’s official plan caps the height there at six storeys.

Among the zoning bylaw amendments being sought is approval to include no parking in the project.

“It is anticipated that this development will be occupied by transit users, active transportation reliant individuals and those living, working or studying in the downtown area,” states a Skyline letter submitted to the city.

“The practice of allowing downtown developments with zero parking, is being adopted in a number of Ontario municipalities. For example, the municipalities of Kitchener, London and Ottawa allow downtown developments with zero parking for residential and non-residential uses,” adds a parking study report.  “The proposed development is consistent with this practice and with the City of Guelph’s emphasis on sustainable transportation policies and objectives.

“In addition, off-site parking facilities that offer long-term residential parking permits, as well as parking lots and on-street parking for short-term parking, are located within walking distance from the development.”

The Sept. 10 public meeting will be held at city hall, during council’s monthly planning session which begins at 6 p.m. 

City staff, which is in the process of reviewing the proposal, is slated to release a report Aug. 30, including its recommendation for city council to approve or reject the plan.

Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20240807132022/https://www.guelphtoday.com/local-news/palestinian-arts-and-culture-festival-in-guelph-this-weekend-9314290

Palestinian arts and culture festival in Guelph this weekend

Beside the Boathouse on Gordon Street Saturday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

A new festival celebrating Palestinian arts, culture and community is happening this Saturday.

Palestine in the Park will include a series of events, including an artists market, activities for kids, snacks, performances and an outdoor film screening.

There will also be a kite-making workshop, and drop-in activities like an arts and crafts table, a Palestine-themed nature scavenger hunt, a reading nook and more.

The festival will take place from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. besides the Boathouse on Gordon Street. The admission fee is by donation. Registration for workshops is required. ___

Found this blog post and found it had more insight into the issues around the dev and the toxicity in FOSS

Owner says he plans on moving The Round Table to the second floor and still plans for a speakeasy on the main floor; but no timeline yet

https://web.archive.org/web/20240104143718/https://www.guelphtoday.com/local-news/heres-the-latest-on-the-albion-hotel-8051136

Hitesh and Kirtida Jagad will give out 150 meals on Dec. 25 from Kirtida Kitchen like they have done for the past few years

https://web.archive.org/web/20231221145027/https://www.guelphtoday.com/lets-eat/local-restaurant-again-set-to-provide-150-free-meals-on-christmas-day-8009213

An OPP officer detained a senior reporter with GuelphToday Wednesday morning at the scene of a fatal collision, and his memory card was seized by the coroner's office

https://web.archive.org/web/20231220184748/https://www.guelphtoday.com/local-news/guelphtoday-reporter-detained-camera-seized-while-covering-news-event-8009575