Question Period Note: Closing Supervised Consumption Sites

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• Supervised consumption sites (SCS) reduce the number of drug related harms and improve the health of people who use drugs. Since 2017, SCS in Canada have responded to over 53,000 overdoses and have seen over 4.4 million visits.
• Closing supervised consumption sites would mean increasing the risk of more deaths, diseases and infections and less access to a range of other health and social services that people rely on.
• Harm reduction is health care and a pathway to care for many people. We are focused on supporting a full range of services and supports to address the diverse needs of people who use drugs, as well as enforcement efforts to protect our communities.
• We know that SCS can be inaccessible or unavailable especially in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities and do not typically operate 24/7 or support all modes of consumption where they do exist.
• We must work with other levels of Government and partners to implement innovative solutions, including virtual supports, to ensure more people who use drugs have access to services to prevent overdose deaths.

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