The federal government is allowing cities and harm-reduction organizations to apply directly to Health Canada to help get funding for supervised consumption sites amid the opioid crisis that?s killing Canadians in record numbers.
A spokesperson for Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor said that allowing municipalities and non-profits to apply directly to Ottawa for an exemption to open overdose prevention sites will help remove barriers in the fight against the public health crisis.
"We want to make sure that there are no barriers in place if these services are needed in communities across the country because we know they save lives," said press secretary Thierry Belair. "We have approved over 25 supervised consumption sites and provided additional funding to provinces hardest hit by the crisis. We will continue to take action to turn the tide on this crisis."
The decision follows an announcement from Ontario's Progressive Conservative government in October that it would put a cap of 21 supervised consumption sites in the province. The sites will also now be called "consumption and treatment services (CTS)" and those looking to operate existing sites would have to re-apply to the province to stay open and receive funding.
A spokesperson for Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott did not comment on the federal changes, but said in a general statement that the new CTS model will "focus on connecting people who use drugs to primary care, treatment and rehabilitation, and other health and social services."
