Make no mistake: what happens in Toronto could easily impact what happens in Niagara. Pictured: Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow. Photo Credit: Olivia Chow/X.
The drug decriminalization fight happening in British Columbia and Toronto has high stakes for Niagara Region. Should Toronto follow B.C. and decriminalize hard drugs, Niagara Region could be right behind them.
Let’s take a look at the history of government policies that loosened the rules behind using hard drugs in Canada.
Canada’s first safe injection site opened in downtown Vancouver in 2003. The idea behind safe injection sites is to provide a location for drug addicts to use illegal drugs while supervised by trained staff paid for by taxpayers.
The philosophy behind such a program is to minimize harm. While addicts are using illegal drugs, staff provide them with safe needles and emergency medical care, among other services.
After Vancouver opened its first safe injection site in 2003, Toronto followed suit just under a decade later. Since then, dozens of safe injection sites have opened across the country, including in St. Catharines.
Vancouver led the way on safe injection sites. But some advocates of safe injection sites soon started promoting the idea of drug decriminalization. That means removing criminal penalties for certain drug law violations.
British Columbia’s NDP government, led by Premier David Eby, received permission from the federal government to introduce a pilot program in January of 2023 to allow drug users to carry up to 2.5 grams of drugs for their own use without facing criminal charges.
Eby claimed the goal was to decrease stigma and encourage addicts to seek help.
Yet what has happened in B.C. has caused a local uproar. Addicts are openly doing drugs in public places, such as parks. The province’s overdose deaths have also increased, while many are concerned about issues related to safety and crime. Drug use was increasingly seen in parks, hospitals and even restaurants.
After a severe backlash, Eby recently asked the federal government to recriminalize drug possession in public places, such as parks.
Toronto, second to the punch on safe injection sites, is now promoting the idea of drug decriminalization. Mayor Olivia Chow is fully on board. Toronto has asked the federal government to provide the city with a similar exemption to drug laws as the pilot project in B.C.
Thankfully, the Ford government has stepped in. Ford has outright rejected the idea of decriminalizing drugs in any part of the province, while Health Minister Sylvia Jones and Solicitor General Michael Kerzner issued a statement to Toronto politicians saying, “under no circumstances will our government ever support your request.” And after Ford shut the door, the federal government followed suit – at least for now.
Make no mistake: what happens in Toronto could easily impact what happens in Niagara. Not only is Niagara Region close in proximity to Toronto, but St. Catharines also has a safe injection site. With the first two cities to open safe injection sites – Vancouver and Toronto – now pushing a policy of drug decriminalization, a similar push could make its way to other safe injection site cities as well.
According to Niagara Region, the average monthly number of opioid deaths in 2020 was seven, while the average number of emergency room visits for overdoses was 54. Niagara Region declared a state of emergency last year in the face of an opioid addiction epidemic.
To deal with this, many Niagara politicians have promoted the idea of decriminalization.
Back in 2020, Niagara Regional Council voted 16-13 to call on the federal government to look at the decriminalization of the possession of hard drugs. Politicians in Niagara have been pushing for this for nearly four years.
The stakes in Toronto are high for Niagara Region because should Toronto decriminalize drugs, Niagara could follow. Regional Council began calling on the federal government to look at decriminalization just two years after Toronto first endorsed the idea.
The Ford government is the only real actor standing in the way. The Trudeau government has shown signs it wants to allow for decriminalization in Toronto and elsewhere, but just couldn’t overcome the opposition from Queen’s Park.
Many of the members of Regional Council who voted for the decriminalization study motion in 2020 remain in office. The list includes Frank Campion of Welland, Bill Steele of Port Colborne, Brian Heit of St. Catharines, Tim Rigby of St. Catharines, Laura Ip of St. Catharines, Sandra Easton of Lincoln, Bob Gale of Niagara Falls, Diane Huson of Pelham, Jeff Jordan of Grimsby, Wayne Redekop of Fort Erie, Terry Ugulini of Thorold, and Albert Witteveen of West Lincoln.
While the question of decriminalizing hard drugs in Ontario is a moot point so long as Premier Doug Ford is on office, this could become an important issue in the next provincial election in 2026. And should government change hands, decriminalization in Niagara could become a real possibility.
