Safe consumption site in ByWard Market forced to close

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Ottawa Public Health (OPH) officials tried to renew an exemption to continue operating a safe consumption site (SCS) in downtown, but the province never approved it. Instead, the site at 179 Clarence St., was forced to halt operations on Sept. 30 and closed its doors. Safe consumption sites allow drug users to safely use or test their products to avoid overdoses. This change was required when the province forced consumption and treatment services sites located within 200 metres of schools and licenced child-care centres, to transition to Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hubs or close. “OPH recognizes the impact of losing its Supervised Consumption Services as a trusted, low-barrier entry point into the health care system.