An Ontario judge has granted an injunction, allowing so-called “safe consumption sites” near schools and daycares to remain open, defying government closure plans as a Charter challenge unfolds. This ruling, handed down on March 28, 2025, keeps 10 sites operational while the court debates whether drug users have a “right” to use deadly substances in taxpayer-funded spaces.

Last August, Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones unveiled a bold shift in drug policy under Bill 223, the Safer Streets, Stronger Communities Act. The province banned consumption sites within 200 meters of schools and daycares, committing $378 million into 19 Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hubs.

Jones layered this atop of the province's existing $3.8 billion “Roadmap to Wellness” and the nearly $700 million dedicated to housing initiatives each year, promising to prioritize recovery over harm reduction. Yet, overdose deaths have surged 68% from 2018 to 2022 — eight lives lost daily — while multi-substance fatalities spiked 167%, exposing the failure of “safer supply” fantasies.

Ontario is investing $378M in 19 "HART Hubs," facilities to address homelessness and drug addiction across the province.

The sites will focus on recovery and treatment and will not offer so-called safe supply drugs or needle exchange programs.https://t.co/10R46kQiZP pic.twitter.com/kwpKSA8c0f

— Tamara Ugolini 🇨🇦 (@TamaraUgo) August 20, 2024

Enter The Neighbourhood Group (TNG), a Toronto-based “charity” running the Kensington Market Overdose Prevention Site. TNG, which pockets $24.4 million in provincial grants annually — with 81% of its budget coming from government, i.e. taxpayer funds — is suing Ontario, claiming the ban violates addicts’ Charter rights.

TNG CEO Bill Sinclair, pulling in over $230,000 yearly, argues that his agency co-locating a daycare and drug consumption site nearby proves that this practice is safe everywhere.  However, legal proceedings initiated by South Riverdale residents, where a mother was gunned down in drug-related crossfire near a site last year, beg to differ.

Ontario's Health Minister admits safe supply policy failure as she reveals alarming increases in violent assaults, crime, and fatalities near drug consumption sites across the provincehttps://t.co/10R46kQiZP pic.twitter.com/KXGDFI0sos

— Tamara Ugolini 🇨🇦 (@TamaraUgo) August 20, 2024

Many are increasingly seeing these sites as magnets for chaos, not solutions. Recent data shows that British Columbia’s “safer supply” experiment saw opioid hospitalizations soar 58% post-decriminalization. Ontario’s data mirrors this grim reality; harm reduction isn’t reducing harm, it’s amplifying it.

Yet, TNG’s legal team insists that closing these sites endangers lives, which seems to lean more on emotional pleas than evidence.

And it’s law-abiding taxpayers that are bankrolling all of it.

TNG’s operating budget shows $50 million in salaries and $10 million in benefits, dwarfing its $6.4 million in program costs. Charity Intelligence Canada gives it a whopping three-star “below-average” rating, with no demonstrated impact and a C+ for results reporting.

This mediocre and highly subsidized charity has the gall to sue the same government they’re funded by while courts and bureaucrats burn through endless public cash. Meanwhile, addiction festers, and kids dodge needles near playgrounds.

This isn’t compassion — it’s more of a racket.

Ontario’s judge may delay closures, but the real crime is a system where profiteers and drug pushers thrive, and taxpayers foot the bill for the deadly substances, the antidotes, and the body bags.

PETITION: Fix Our Cities!

12,262 signatures

Goal: 20,000 signatures

Canada's urban centres are spiraling into decay and chaos, with rampant crime, open drug use, and rising poverty turning once-desirable cities into places of fear. From violent knife attacks on Toronto’s public transit to open-air drug markets in Vancouver, these cities are becoming unrecognizable and unsafe, especially for families. Homeless encampments now dominate public parks and playgrounds, where drug paraphernalia litters spaces meant for children. And it’s not just Toronto and Vancouver — cities across the country are suffering as law and order give way to failed progressive policies. Sign our petition and follow our reporters as we investigate the true causes behind this urban decay and reveal what the mainstream media won’t.

Sign Now

Optional email code

Will you sign?

First Name

Last Name

Email

Mobile phone

Send me email updates

Send me text message updates

Country AfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBonaire, Sint Eustatius and SabaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBrunei DarussalamBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombiaComorosCongoCongo, the Democratic Republic of theCook IslandsCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCuraçaoCyprusCzech RepublicCôte d'IvoireDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFalkland Islands (Malvinas)Faroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard Island and McDonald IslandsHoly See (Vatican City State)HondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIran, Islamic Republic ofIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKuwaitKyrgyzstanLao People's Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacaoMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesia, Federated States ofMoldova, Republic ofMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorth KoreaNorth Macedonia, Republic ofNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalestine, State ofPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarRomaniaRussian FederationRwandaRéunionSaint BarthélemySaint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da CunhaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Martin (French part)Saint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSint Maarten (Dutch part)SlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSouth KoreaSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan MayenSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyrian Arab RepublicTaiwanTajikistanTanzania, United Republic ofThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUnited States Minor Outlying IslandsUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuela, Bolivarian Republic ofViet NamVirgin Islands, BritishVirgin Islands, U.S.Wallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabweÅland Islands

Street address

Apt, suite, etc.

City

State AlabamaAlaskaAmerican SamoaArizonaArkansasArmed Forces AmericasArmed Forces EuropeArmed Forces PacificCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaFederated States of MicronesiaFloridaGeorgiaGuamHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarshall IslandsMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPalauPennsylvaniaPuerto RicoRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirgin IslandVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming

Zip code

Apt, suite, etc.

City

Province

Postal code

Apt, suite, etc.

City/Suburb

State/territory

Postal code

Apt, suite, etc.

City

Postal code

Street 2

City

Postcode

Apt, suite, etc.

City

Province

Postal code

Apartment, suite, etc.

City

Postal code

Apt, suite, etc.

City

Postal code

Apt, suite, etc.

City

State/region

Postal code

Comments (optional)