Doug Ford's War on Injection Sites

 Doug Ford claims he has the solution to Ontario's drug crisis by shutting down safe injection sites, yet reports from Toronto Police reveal that in areas surrounding these facilities, robberies decreased by 40%, break and enters fell by 13%, bike thefts dropped by 16%, and shootings plummeted by an astonishing 57%.

In the midst of Ontario's ongoing drug crisis, Premier Doug Ford recently announced that he plans to shut down the province's safe injection sites. The Premier claims that these facilities, which allow individuals to inject drugs under medical supervision, are contributing to the crisis and increasing crime in the surrounding areas. However, a closer look at the data from the Toronto Police Service suggests that this may not be the case.

According to a report from the Toronto Police Service, in areas surrounding safe injection sites, robberies decreased by 40%, break and enters fell by 13%, bike thefts dropped by 16%, and shootings plummeted by an astonishing 57%. These statistics cover a period of time before and after the opening of the safe injection sites, providing a clear picture of the impact of these facilities on crime in the area.

The findings are consistent with research from other jurisdictions that have implemented similar facilities. For example, a study from the Insite supervised injection facility in Vancouver found that the number of overdose deaths decreased by 35% in the area surrounding the facility. Similar results have been found in other cities such as Sydney, Australia, and Lisbon, Portugal.

The data suggests that rather than contributing to crime and the drug crisis, safe injection sites are helping to reduce the harm associated with drug use. By providing a safe and supervised space for individuals to inject drugs, these facilities can help to prevent overdoses and other negative health outcomes. In addition, by reducing the number of public injections, safe injection sites can also help to reduce the visibility of drug use and associated crime in the community.

It's worth noting that while safe injection sites are not a silver bullet for solving the drug crisis, they are one tool that can be used to reduce harm and improve public safety. Other measures, such as increased access to addiction treatment and harm reduction services, are also essential.

In light of the data, it's difficult to understand why Doug Ford is pursuing a policy that may actually exacerbate the drug crisis and increase crime in the province. By shutting down safe injection sites, the Premier risks undermining the progress that has been made in reducing harm and improving public safety. Instead, it would be wise to build on this progress and expand the availability of safe injection sites and other harm reduction services in Ontario.

In conclusion, the data from the Toronto Police Service suggests that Doug Ford's plan to shut down safe injection sites is misguided and may do more harm than good. By reducing crime and overdose deaths in the surrounding areas, these facilities have proven to be an effective tool in reducing the harm associated with drug use. Rather than undermining this progress, the government should focus on expanding access to these services and other harm reduction measures to address the drug crisis in Ontario.