PC Leader Doug Ford ‘dead against’ safe injection sites; promises plan for addiction, mental health

SARNIA — Doug Ford says he is “dead against” safe injection sites and believes the focus should be on drug rehabilitation instead.

And if elected premier of Ontario in June, the Progressive Conservative leader says he will do everything he can to fight the ongoing opioid crisis and get people struggling with addiction the help they need.

“If your son, daughter, loved one ever had an addiction, would you want them to go in a little area and do more drugs? I am dead against that,” Ford said Friday. “We have to help these people. We can’t just keep feeding them and feeding them.”

When pressed for details, his campaign said Ford would release his plan to address mental health and the opioid crisis in the coming weeks.

Ford, whose late brother Rob Ford struggled with substance abuse and admitted to using crack cocaine, made the comments in Sarnia, Ont., after announcing that a Tory government would create 30,000 longterm care beds over the next 10 years to ease the burden on hospitals and cut wait times.

He did not say how much the plan would cost, nor how it would be funded. His campaign said more information on costing would come in the coming weeks.

Health Minister Helena Jaczek said Ford’s comments on safe injection sites not only perpetuate the stigma around mental health and addiction, but also put people’s lives at risk.

“Has Doug Ford ever even visited one of these sites? Because if he has, he would know that beyond reversing overdoses, these sites regularly connect substance users to addictions treatment, withdrawal management programs and other health and social supports that they would otherwise never have access to,” she said in a statement.

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath echoed that sentiment, saying Ford’s stance would “drag Ontario backwards and deny people the care they need.”