A moving memorial was held for murder victim Karolina Huebner-Makurat. But the day after, a city-run ‘safe’ injection site continues to attract a nefarious element to Leslieville

Karolina Huebner-Makurat, a 44-year-old mother of two, was walking along Toronto’s Queen Street East in broad daylight earlier this month, minding her own business. Then, near a city-run “safe” injection site, shots rang out. It was apparently a drug deal gone bad, and the rival drug dealers thought that the proper way to settle their differences was via gunplay on a busy street. Unfortunately, Karolina was struck by a stray bullet and died at the scene.

It's beyond outrageous; it’s sickening.

At a touching memorial last Monday attended by hundreds of people at Jimmie Simpson Park, Karolina was lauded by her husband, Adrian Makurat. He spoke of how “our lives changed forever” with the senseless loss of his wife.

“We’re managing,” said Adrian, referring to himself and his daughters Claudia, 7, and Nella, 4. “The girls are in a good position because I’m looking out at all the aunts and uncles they didn’t know they had.”

Alas, what isn’t being so widely reported by the mainstream media is that this shooting happened just a stone’s throw away from a so-called “safe” injection site operated by the South Riverdale Community Health Centre. And the harsh reality is that these sites not only attract drug addicts but also those who sell such odious merchandise.

Indeed, right next door to the South Riverdale Community Health Centre is a small parkette. Within minutes of us visiting this area on Tuesday afternoon, we witnessed a drug deal taking place.

Whether one thinks such safe injection sites are good or bad, how does one justify this venue given that it’s situated a mere 150 metres away from an elementary school. There’s also a daycare facility nearby. Put another way, if the owner of a legal cannabis store applied for a licence to set up shop on this stretch of Queen Street East, the application would be denied given the proximity to children. But somehow a safe injection site is OK?

What is also egregious is the lack of policing in the area. Apparently, the powers-that-be don’t want uniformed law enforcement personnel here for fear of “stigmatizing” the “clients” of the South Riverdale Community Health Centre. Translation: the feelings of drug addicts actually trump public safety,

We happened upon a client at the site who willingly came on camera. While he lauded the safe injection site for doing good work, even he admitted that this site does not belong in the neighbourhood.

As previously reported, Rebel News reached out to Dr. Carolyn Bennett, the federal minister of mental health and addictions, as well as Ontario NDP MP Peter Tabuns and city councillor Paula Fletcher for comment. All of whom support such sites.

Only Dr. Bennett’s office responded, suggesting we reach out to the City of Toronto and the Toronto Police Service.

Meanwhile, the Liberal MP for the riding where the safe injection site is located is Julie Dabrusin. Her constituency office is less than a football field away from the South Riverdale Community Health Centre. We paid a house call, but even though the office was fully staffed, the doors remained locked shut and no comment was provided.

As well, no one at the South Riverdale Community Health Centre would provide comment either. That’s a shame. The injection site run by this centre is billed as “safe.”

Try telling that to Karolina’s husband, Adrian, and her daughters, Claudia and Nella — so much collateral damage in the name of “progressive progress”…