Local service providers and harm reduction specialists have had a few weeks to digest new changes form the province and now some are warning of the rise in blood-borne illnesses like HIV and Hepatitis will be the result.
Cameron Dearlove, chair of the Waterloo Region Integrated Drugs Strategy (WRIDS), said that with needle exchange programs coming to an end, the likelihood of needle sharing will be on the rise.
Last month the province announced it was banning needle exchange programs and closing all supervised drug consumption sites within 200 metres of schools or childcare facilities by March 31, 2025.
"When news broke out, at least in our meetings it was a pretty dark day and we were just assessing what this announcement meant for us and for the people who desperately need this type of healthcare," said Dearlove.
"Blood-borne illnesses such as HIV and Hepatitis C could see a resurgence in our community as people are unable to access clean materials to use."
The supervised drug consumption sites, often referred to as a consumption and treatment services (CTS) site, offered needle exchange programs, swapping dirty and used needles for clean ones to mitigate the risk of cross-infection or needle sharing.
According to the Ontario HIV Epidemiology and Surveillance Initiative, in 2020 there were over 22,000 people in Ontario living with HIV, with this number being likely higher due to lack of reporting in some cases.
"It's beyond frustrating, because more people are going to get sick and die from a lack of services," added Dearlove.
As these sites close down, the province has offered the sites the opportunity to transition into a Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hub as explained by health minister Sylvia Jones.
These sites will offer a suite of services to patients looking for support and will have a mental health and addictions supportive housing component, but no harm reduction services such as safe supply, supervised injection or needle exchanges will be permitted.
The region's chief medical officer said the region is working on an application to bring a HART Hub satellite to Cambridge during a committee meeting this week.
The executive director of the Aids Committee Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo and Area (ACCKWA), Ruth Cameron said despite the province's move away from the CTS model, it will continue to operate as a harm reduction organization in Cambridge to help reduce the spread of these diseases and help those who are addicted to drugs.
"We will work alongside the organizations that are going to choose to lead the HART Hubs so that they can focus their efforts on the scope of services that they will be allowed to provide," Cameron said.
She added the organization will continue to focus on making sure that the prevention supports in the form of harm reduction continue to be delivered.
ACCKWA was named the service provider when a CTS was approved for Cambridge two years ago.
Its application to get a CTS at 150 Main St. never made it to the province, however.
Cameron said despite ACCKWA's best efforts, several roadblocks frustrated the process and local opposition to the site prevented their application from going forward.
While the new HART Hubs will be restricted in what they can offer in the community, Cameron and ACCKWA want to step in and fill the gaps, providing life-saving harm-reduction services to those in need.
"We are very much dedicated to making sure that those important supports are available to individuals in need in the community. We want to make sure that risks related to infection or transmission of HIV or hepatitis C and other injury risks that are related to substance use are lessened and prevented," added Cameron.
ACCKWA has built a community at 150 Main St. for those who are suffering from addiction to come and receive support, talk and just have a friend.
Cameron's goal is to create a non-judgemental place for anyone in the community to get information and get connected with support if they wish to do so.
"Before the decision by the province and after the decision, our mission is still the same," said Cameron.
"If we do not provide safe spaces for individuals, then we increase the risk to them, but we also increase the risk to the remainder of the community in terms of there being inappropriately discarded equipment and needles. And we don't want that for anybody."
