Seven Ontario overdose prevention sites are facing imminent government funding cuts that could force them to close.
Critics say the move puts lives at risk.
“Doug Ford could not have picked a worse time to do this, because just before he made this decision, the drugs just got significantly more toxic,” said Matt Johnson, a supervisor of Toronto’s Street Health overdose prevention site.
If the government-funded sites close, the province will be left with just three overdose prevention sites, all of which are funded by private donors.
Bill Sinclair, CEO of The Neighbourhood Group, which runs a privately funded overdose prevention site in Toronto’s Kensington Market, is encouraging other sites to try to stay open by seeking donations and community support.
“I’m definitely encouraging people to try,” he said.
“But it does feel like an overwhelming challenge for people to face, and I don’t envy them having to do that.”
Funding cuts
Both supervised consumption sites and overdose prevention sites exist to prevent overdoses.
Supervised sites are permanent, staffed by medical professionals, and offer a range of health services. Overdose prevention sites are smaller, easier to access and rely on fewer resources.
Both operate under federally granted exemptions from the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, which otherwise prohibit the use of illicit drugs, but only some sites receive provincial funding.
In 2024, Ontario’s Ford government banned consumption sites from operating within 200 metres of schools and child-care centres. The province converted nine of these sites into HART Hubs, which offer primary care, addiction support and other services, but not supervised drug use.
More recently, in March, Ontario announced funding cuts that affect the seven remaining, government-funded sites that do not operate close to schools and daycares.
These cuts do not affect the province’s three, privately funded sites: Kensington Market’s overdose prevention site, Street Health’s overdose prevention site, and Casey House’s supervised consumption site.
Funding models
The Neighbourhood Group, in Kensington Market, is a registered charity that owns its building and runs an overdose prevention site. It also tests drugs and publishes information about the toxicity of the local drug supply.
The site usually serves about 500 people a month, but recorded more than 1,000 visitors in February due to increased demand.
The Neighbourhood Group’s annual costs for the overdose prevention site run from about $300,000 to $400,000 and are covered almost entirely by small private donations, says Sinclair, the CEO. “The fundraising has been hand to mouth,” he said.
Similarly, Street Health, an overdose prevention site located in Toronto’s east end, owns its building and relies on donations to fund its operations.
Johnson, the site’s supervisor, says Street Health experienced a sharp surge in demand after nearby sites closed, with “numbers [going] up drastically.”
The site’s annual operating costs are “in the hundreds of thousands, nowhere near a million,” with salaries as the largest expense. “Nobody gets into harm reduction for the money,” Johnson said.
At Street Health, a two-person team oversees fundraising, securing support from small and large, repeat donors.
Johnson says their donor-driven model provides stability, enabling the site to focus on “doing what we know is right and needed,” rather than chasing shifting government priorities.
Casey House is the third site unaffected by provincial cuts. It integrates supervised consumption into a private hospital setting that serves people living with and at risk of HIV/AIDS. It is the only site offering a safe drug inhalation space in the province.
“75 per cent of [clients] are now inhaling as opposed to injecting,” said CEO Joanne Simons, noting that inhalation also helps them better manage the amount of drugs they use.
A six-person team fundraises over $4 million annually for the hospital, though only a select group of donors support the supervised consumption site and harm reduction programs.
Casey House relies on extensive research to identify donors. “There are a lot of asks and a lot of no’s before you obviously get to a yes,” said Simons.
Education is also a key part of their outreach.
“We are … consistently [doing] a lot of education … [about] harm reduction, HIV, poverty, homelessness, criminalization — how all of these things intersect,” said Simons.
Johnson, at Street Health, says many large donors are people who have lost a loved one to the drug crisis. “I think it’s a really beautiful way that people can give when they face such a horrific loss, that they can help ensure that it doesn’t happen to others,” he said.
Donor models
Some provincially funded supervised consumption sites are now considering the donor model as a way to keep their doors open.
In London, Ont., the Carepoint supervised consumption site could continue operating if it secures private funding.
London Centre Liberal MP Peter Fragiskatos said the facility’s federal approval to operate could be renewed if funding is found.
“They would have to go and fundraise to continue operating. That is very difficult. I recognize that … it requires significant funding,” he told media.
Fragiskatos, who has been in contact with the site’s operator, Regional HIV/AIDS Connection, said he would personally donate to a potential fundraiser and advocate for it as an MP. The site said it is “considering all options available to us” to keep the service running.
Johnson says sites could also explore relocating to portable sites to reduce their rents, and diversify revenue streams, such as merchandise sales.
The timing of the provincial funding cuts is especially concerning, says Johnson.
Toronto’s Drug Checking Service reported March 20 that more than 80 per cent of fentanyl samples contained multiple potent opioids and depressants, including benzodiazepines and veterinary tranquilizers, making the supply more unpredictable and dangerous.
An internal RCMP report prepared in June 2025 also warns that nitazenes — synthetic opioids 20‑40 times more potent than fentanyl — could become a defining feature of Canada’s opioid crisis.
The Neighbourhood Group filed a lawsuit in December 2024 after the province ordered its Kensington Market overdose prevention site to close. The charity, which is located within 200 metres of a child-care centre, is arguing the order violates the constitutional rights of people who use drugs and exceeds provincial authority.
A court granted an injunction in March 2025, allowing the site to stay open while the case proceeds.
