A supervised drug-use site is pictured in Toronto in August.Chris Young/The Canadian Press
The Ontario government is proposing to push through a bill that would close 10 supervised drug-use site without holding any public hearings.
The legislation seeks to prohibit and close any drug-use sites that are within 200 metres of a school or daycare, and effectively prohibit any new sites from opening.
In their place, the government is launching 19 new “homelessness and addiction recovery treatment hubs” plus 375 highly supportive housing units at a planned cost of $378-million.
Government house leader Steve Clark has put forward a motion that would see the bill go straight from second reading to third reading, bypassing the committee stage that normally includes public hearings and considering amendments.
Explainer: What to know about Canada’s toxic drug crisis and supervised drug-use sites
Mr. Clark says that Health Minister Sylvia Jones made the drug-use site announcement back in August, and now the government needs to get the bill passed.
The bill is one of a number of pieces of legislation the government is fast-tracking, which is fuelling speculation of a provincial election earlier than the set June, 2026, date.