Ontario’s nurses demand reopening of Windsor’s SafePoint

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With Ontario in the grip of a “toxic drug crisis,” the province’s registered nurses are demanding the government reopen Windsor’s supervised consumption site — which saved at least five lives in the brief time it was open. 

“Immediate, urgent, and now,” said Doris Grinspun, CEO of the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO). “There is no need to wait for any report.

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“It is unconscionable that we’re willing to look at any other ailment in society with open eyes. But when it comes to substance use, and also to mental health, we close the eyes.

“I think we all need to look at how this can happen to anyone, to any person, any family, and be less judgmental and save more lives.” 

The Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario is marking the end of Nursing Week by hosting a media conference on Friday calling for action to combat a drug crisis that is “ravaging communities across Ontario.” 

Grinspun said a key to that is supervised consumption and treatment services (CTS) sites. The provincial government has “paused” applications for new sites pending a review and denied funding for some existing facilities, including the one in Windsor, forcing them to close.  

The RNAO said 10 people are dying every day in Ontario due to an “unregulated and toxic drug supply.” In 2023, there were more than 3,800 known victims. 

“Just picture 3,800 families, friends that are forever mourning the loss of a person,” said Grinspun. “The reality is the premier is pushing treatment. Nurses also believe in treatment.

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“But not everybody is ready for treatment, and you cannot treat a dead person.” 

Opioid deaths in Essex County have been increasing steadily for a decade, but the numbers have surged over the last several years.  

There were 68 drug-related deaths in 2019, including 51 involving opioids, according to the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit. 

Last year, there were 167 overdose deaths, including 115 where opioids were a factor. In the first quarter of 2024, there were 35 suspected drug-related deaths. 

Windsor’s SafePoint was only open for eight months. In that time, staff “reversed” five overdoses, according to an annual report from the Windsor-Essex Community Opioid and Substance Strategy. 

SafePoint staff also did 23 on-site drug checks, a harm reduction measure that allows people to know if there is anything unexpected or toxic in their drugs, such as fentanyl. 

The report stated that 248 individuals visited SafePoint between April 26 and Dec. 31. Those people went to the clinic a total of 1,257 times, including 552 visits to take drugs they brought themselves.

Windsor’s SafePoint closed Jan. 1 after the Ontario government refused to provide funding at least until it completes a provincewide review of all 17 drug consumption and treatment services sites. The province is doing a critical incident review following a fatal shooting outside a Toronto CTS site last summer.  

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MPP Andrew Dowie (PC — Windsor-Tecumseh) told the Windsor Star in March that SafePoint is not eligible for interim funding. He said SafePoint can’t claim short-term funding until it secures provincial approval following the review. 

There is no deadline for the review. 

Dowie would not comment this week, and instead forwarded the Star’s request to the office of Sylvia Jones, Ontario’s deputy premier and health minister. 

“These reviews include consulting with Public Health, community engagement and reviewing complaints against the CTS sites,” Hannah Jensen, a spokesperson for the minister of health, said in an email.

“These reviews remain ongoing and will inform the next steps taken by the Ministry of Health including funding, location and application decisions. All applications remain on pause.” 

Jensen added that the provincial government’s budget this year included $396 million over three years for mental health and addictions services, including $124 million for the Addictions Recovery Fund. 

SafePoint opened in April 2023 without provincial approvals under a federal exemption from Health Canada. The health unit started funding the site, expecting the province would step in by last summer. That never happened. 

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In November, the health unit’s board of directors voted to put SafePoint on hold starting Jan. 1, pending sustainable funding from the province. The site in Sudbury also closed in March due to a lack of funding.

“At the bare minimum we are saying, immediately, you should continue the funding of those clinics in Windsor and Sudbury,” said Grinspun.  

The consumption centres are more than a place where someone can go do drugs, she said. While a person is on-site, a nurse can assess their primary care needs and other issues, and build up trust that might open a door to treatment. 

Without those initial interactions, Grinspun said it is unlikely that many people will get the health care they need or find their way to treatment. 

“Absolutely not, because they’re afraid and because they don’t have the relationship,” she said.

“This is why people use alone and die alone.” 

twilhelm@postmedia.com

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