Province-wide vigils planned to save supervised consumption sites

Vigils took place in six communities across Ontario to remember lives lost to drugs and to call on the next provincial government regarding the upcoming closure of supervised consumption sites.

The events happened in Hamilton, Toronto, Barrie, Guelph, Ottawa and Timmins at 12 p.m. as part of a “provincial day of action,” a statement from the organizers reads.

Organizers say the vigils will commemorate “lives lost and demand the next Ontario government end the attack on safe consumption sites”.

Doug Ford’s Conservative government tabled a bill in mid-November to shutter 10 supervised consumption sites the government deemed too close to schools and daycares. The bill also bans new sites from opening altogether.

The Hamilton vigil took place at Hamilton City Hall and is organized by Save Our Sites Hamilton.

More than 23,000 people have reportedly died in Ontario since 2018 due to the toxic drug crisis.

READ MORE: Ontario tables bill that bans supervised consumption sites near schools, daycares