Latest news with #HARTHub
CTV News
02-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
Brockville, Ont. residents oppose future homelessness and addiction treatment hub on King Street
The former Fulford Academy in Brockville, Ont. on King Street East. June 2, 2025 (Jack Richardson/CTV News Ottawa) Residents in Brockville, Ont. are unhappy with the future location of the city's Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hub. HART Hubs are healthcare facilities that provide mental health care, addiction treatment, supportive housing, social services and more for those in need from the community. They do not provide supervised consumption services, safe supply, or needle exchange services. Earlier this year, the provincial government announced $529 million in funding for 27 new HART hubs in Ontario, including one in Brockville. A source tells CTV News Ottawa the location of Brockville's HART Hub will be 280 King St. East, the former location of Fulford Academy, a private school which closed nearly one year ago. The sale of the property closed last month. Nearby residents are opposing the plan, however. In a post on Facebook, community members appear frustrated with the lack of communication from city of Brockville officials regarding the location. Brockville HART Hub poster A poster stating there will be a HART Hub at 280 King St. E. in Brockville, Ont., stating concerns about the proposed location. (What's going on in Brockville and area/Facebook) The HART Hub will be run by Lanark, Leeds, and Grenville Addictions and Mental Health (LLGAMH). It will be funded through the government of Ontario. When reached for comment, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes MPP Steve Clark's office said the provincial government does not have a role in selecting the location of the HART Hub, and any questions should be directed to LLGAMH. Responding to CTV News Ottawa's subsequent request for comment, LLGAMH said, 'We do not have confirmed locations, signed leases (properties will not be purchased), or Ontario government funding approval at this time, so we can't speak to the location details yet.' More details to come.
CTV News
14-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Barrie council to discuss Simcoe County's new HART Hub
Barrie council to discuss Simcoe County's new HART Hub which has a soft launch in May and hard launch in July, 2025.
CBC
09-04-2025
- Health
- CBC
Waterloo regional councillors balk at asking province to fund CTS out of fear of losing HART hub funding
Region of Waterloo councillors have voted to defer any decision about whether they should send a letter to the province to ask for funding for the consumption and treatment services (CTS) site. During a community and health services committee meeting, some councillors said they were concerned even asking for the province to support the CTS would lead to the region losing its funding for the homelessness and addictions recovery treatment (HART) hub, which opened April 1. Coun. Pam Wolf encouraged her council colleagues to "act courageously" to send a letter to the province. "Silence is dangerous," Wolf said. "It is not only my belief that CTS is good for our community that prompted my presenting the motion. I am very concerned when government defies the spirit of a court order," Wolf added,. The court order Wolf mentioned was a decision by an Ontario Superior Court judge in Toronto to grant an injunction that would allow CTS sites to remain open while he considered a case that argued closing the sites went against people's Charter rights. Justice John Callaghan is still making a decision on the Charter challenge. Despite the ruling, Health Minister Sylvia Jones has said the province would not fund CTS sites. Without funding, most of the sites, including Kitchener and Guelph, had to close. Waterloo region was ordered to close its CTS site in Kitchener as of March 31 because the province said it was located within 200 metres of a daycare. A HART hub opened at 44 Francis Street S. in Kitchener on April 1, operated by the organization Community Healthcaring Kitchener-Waterloo. WATCH | Kitchener's CTS site closes: Legislation prohibits writing letters of support, councillors told There were questions raised about whether councillors were even allowed to send a letter to the provincial health minister. Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang, the region's medical officer of health for the region, told council that provincial legislation passed last year indicates the region could potentially put HART hub funding at risk if they send a letter. "With the legislation they passed last year, municipalities and boards are not permitted to support CTS, including writing letters of support, unless approved by the minister," Wang said. "The minister's public comments have been very consistent since then, which is that the government is not going to reverse its decision on CTS. It will be moving forward with HART hubs and they have publicly stated more than once that funding for HART Hub would be withdrawn if organizations try to continue CTS operations." Woolwich Mayor Sandy Shantz said she was concerned they would be "shooting ourselves in the foot" if they requested the province support the CTS. "I don't want to get a CTS site and have the HART hub disappear on us," Shantz said. 'They will blacklist you,' councillor says Coun. Doug Craig, who is also the former mayor of Cambridge, said he doesn't think the province would listen, even if they did send a letter. "I can tell you from experience of 40 years, they won't listen to you. They don't listen to us now. They're not listening to you when you send letters out. And I think we have to come to terms with that," he said. "If you cross the province or publicly go after them, they will blacklist you and come back at you at some later date. That's how they operate and that's been going on for years behind the scenes and a lot of us know how it operates," Craig added. "I think we have to be positive. We have to do a better job with addiction problems we have and we have to address this in a more substantive way." Coun. Chantel Huinink said there's no question the CTS saved lives and that it could work alongside the HART hub. "The question is: Is the current provincial government trustworthy enough to put funding into the CTS during the interim of opening the HART hub? And because I think the answer to that is unfortunately, no," she said. "I'm not willing to put four times the risk of funding for similar services that may not be meeting a particular need, but still four times the amount of funding and related services at risk to maintain the CTS in the short term. And I'm so sorry and it breaks my heart." Need to review legislation, get legal advice: Kitchener mayor Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic asked to defer the motion until they had more guidance about what it would mean if they sent a letter to the province. Vrbanovic says the actual legislation needs to be reviewed. He would also like a legal opinion on what the legislation says and what the rights are of the council to be able to speak about the issue. "What are our rights and can that legislation withhold those rights from this council?" he said. The motion is expected to be brought back to the April 23 council meeting. In a letter sent after the meeting, the Waterloo Region Drug Action Team said the decision to defer the vote on whether to send a letter was "another dark day for democracy." "The province could provide the health and safety relief we all seek by, at a minimum, respecting the court injunction. It is unfair to place local municipalities in life-death decisions. One delegate called the provincial actions 'a defacto download of misery.' We agree," the letter said.
CBC
02-04-2025
- Health
- CBC
As HART Hubs open across Ontario, the location of Thunder Bay's site remains uncertain
Social Sharing As several supervised consumption sites across Ontario transition into Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hubs, the permanent location for the one in Thunder Bay remains up in the air. Juanita Lawson, CEO of NorWest Community Health Centres (NWCHC), said the organization is receiving $6.3 million annually to transition its supervised consumption site — Path 525 — into a HART Hub. Path 525, which opened in 2018, is one of 10 sites forced to close after March 31 due to a new provincial law saying supervised consumption sites can't be within 200 metres of schools or child-care settings. It was the only remaining site in northern Ontario. Unlike supervised consumption sites, HART Hubs will not allow supervised drug consumption, safer supply or needle exchange programs. According to the province, they will instead focus on providing primary care, employment support, and mental health, addiction and social services. In a news release Tuesday, the Ministry of Health said Thunder Bay's HART Hub is temporarily operating out of a drop-in centre until June 1, before permanently moving across the street from an overnight shelter. Despite the province listing a specific address, Lawson said the organization has not signed a lease for a permanent location for the northwestern Ontario city's HART Hub. In an email to CBC News on Tuesday, ministry spokesperson Hannah Jensen said "NorWest is up and running their HART Hub at their interim site (510 Victoria Ave.), which they will be at until June 1." "Renovations are underway at 409 George St., which will be their new location due to open in June," said Jensen. The address, 510 Victoria Ave., is for People Advocating for Change Through Empowerment (PACE), which operates a drop-in centre and seasonal warming/cooling centre on the city's south side. WATCH | Support workers in recovery speak on helping vulnerable people in Thunder Bay: Support workers in recovery play key role in helping Thunder Bay's most vulnerable 12 months ago Duration 4:47 Thunder Bay, Ont., remains among the communities hit hardest by the opioid crisis. At People Advocating for Change Through Empowerment (PACE), all workers have lived experience of what their clients are going through. The CBC's Sarah Law spent time at the centre on the city's south side to hear how staff connect with clients through shared experiences. It is unclear what kind of additional services are being offered at PACE while it serves as Thunder Bay's temporary HART Hub. CBC News reached out to PACE on Tuesday and was told by its executive director that they needed permission from the ministry before doing an interview. The address 409 George St. is across the street from a nearby overnight shelter called Shelter House. Court injunction not impacting Thunder Bay While an Ontario judge has allowed the 10 closing supervised consumption sites to stay open as he considers a Charter challenge to the government's new rules about their location, Lawson said it doesn't make sense to keep operating Path 525, since provincial funding for the site has already been pulled. "We've laid off all of our staff, we're closing our doors. Clients have been apprised for the last couple of months that this was happening," she said. "I think there also is an understanding that with receiving the HART Hub funding … that caveat comes with not offering a consumption and treatment service." She described the HART Hub project as "a very interesting puzzle, but with hundreds and hundreds of pieces," since the services to be offered there span multiple government ministries. "It's probably one of the more complex processes that we've undertaken as an organization," Lawson said. Concerns about more overdoses, public drug use On Monday, NWCHC shared an infographic on Instagram about what people can expect with Path 525's closure. "Businesses and community members may see an increase of public substance use, overdoses/drug poisonings, presence of needles and substance use paraphernalia in public space," the post says. At Path 525, people could have their drugs tested using a drug analyzer machine to see if there were any unwanted substances in them. This machine has been a critical part of the drug alerts that NWCHC issues using the free Lifeguard Connect app. Lawson said NWCHC is seeking federal approval to allow outreach workers to provide drug testing services through a mobile unit now that the supervised consumption site is closed. WATCH | How Thunder Bay's drug testing machine works How Thunder Bay's drug testing machine works 1 year ago Duration 0:49 "With that will be a whole plan of where we'll be in certain locations, and people will get immediate and timely information about the substance that they're using," she said. Kandace Belanger is the manager of street outreach and harm reduction programs at the Thunder Bay District Health Unit (TBDHU). She said the TBDHU's Superior Points Harm Reduction Team does a lot of outreach and overdose prevention in the community, from providing sterile drug equipment to training on how to administer naloxone, which is used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. "Harm reduction supplies are very important when it comes to infection prevention," Belanger said. "I think harm reduction in and of itself as well is a point of connection for people. "My team not only provides the equipment, but they provide a lot of education and conversation and connection with clients." The team also disposes of needles found in the community; people can call them to arrange pickups if they don't feel comfortable using a needle disposal bin themselves. "Knowing that those services may not be accessible anymore through [Path 525], particularly harm reduction equipment, we'll ensure that there's access through different avenues to that equipment and what people need," Belanger said. While the health unit does not have capacity to add more staff to the Superior Points team, Belanger said it works with other community agencies that provide harm reduction equipment. "That's sort of the way that we increase capacity, is by having it more accessible through different organizations. It also makes it more accessible to people who need it, who maybe don't have as much access to transportation or other things," she said. While the process of getting the HART Hub up and running has been challenging, Lawson said she feels hopeful about the new care model. "The outcome that we're looking for is that people have safe, secure housing and they have what they need to remain there," Lawson said.
CBC
27-03-2025
- Health
- CBC
This northwestern Ontario town was denied a HART Hub, so it's creating its own model instead
Fort Frances isn't getting one of Ontario's new Homeless and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hubs, but local leaders aren't giving up, instead promoting a strategy of wraparound support for the community's most vulnerable. The HART Hubs, first announced in the summer, are intended to provide primary care, employment support, and mental health, addiction and social services. They're replacing a number of supervised consumption sites across Ontario that are being forced to close at the end of March due to new rules saying they cannot be within 200 metres of schools or child-care centres. The legality of the sites' upcoming closures is currently being challenged in court. Thunder Bay has the only remaining supervised consumption site in northwestern Ontario. Path 525 is expected to be replaced by a HART Hub next month. Further west, Kenora will also be opening a HART Hub this spring. However, the District of Rainy River Services Board (DRRSB) says its application in Fort Frances was rejected. "Should another round of HART Hub funding become available for us to apply, absolutely, we'll be applying," said Sandra Weir, integrated services manager with the DRRSB. "But we still want to keep the concept of being able to have the wraparound services." One of the ways the DRRSB aims to do this is through the HOPE (Housing, Opportunity, Progress, Empowerment) Transitional House in Fort Frances, which opened in mid-February. The house — a renovated church — consists of six beds where people can stay for up to a year and receive on-site support as they look to shift into long-term housing. "It's a critical step between stability and self-sufficiency," Weir said of transitional housing. "It provides not only a roof for individuals that are needing some support, but it also gives them access to resources within the community." The church also hosts the town's Safe Bed program, run by the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), for people experiencing a mental health or addictions crisis. In the winter, it houses the Out of the Cold Warming Centre. HART Hub would be 'money well spent' The HART Hub model has received criticism for shifting away from a harm reduction approach to addiction, and instead encouraging an abstinence-based model. Unlike supervised consumption sites, HART Hubs won't allow supervised drug consumption, safer supply or needle exchange programs. Supervised consumption sites have 'not solved the problem,' minister says 7 months ago Duration 2:50 Health Minister Sylvia Jones says Ontario will ban supervised consumption sites within 200 metres of schools and child-care centres. She also announced $378 million for new Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hubs. For Weir, what appeals to her about the HART Hubs is how they allow a slate of supports under one roof. Ninety-four people on the DRRSB's by-name list are known to be experiencing homelessness in the Rainy River district, she said. While about 19,400 people live across the district, Fort Frances is the area's service hub, with a population of roughly 7,400 people. Due to its size and the number of people from surrounding communities and the First Nations it serves, the border town faces many challenges when it comes to helping those in need, Weir said. Andrew Hallikas, the town's mayor and vice-chair of the DRRSB, said he was disappointed when the HART Hub application was rejected, but "that's not gonna deter us." He said he's hopeful the province will reconsider the community in the next round of applications. "It really helps if you can concentrate your services in one location and it really helps when you have a number of organizations working together so we're not duplicating services," Hallikas said. "We really think that a HART Hub in Fort Frances would be money well spent." The DRRSB has renovated the third floor of the HOPE Transitional House, and while it doesn't have funding to expand further at this point, Weir said it hopes to eventually bring more centralized services there. "We know that with wraparound services, people will get the support that they need in various ways because a lot of times, it's not just about one thing. "It could be a health-care problem, a mental health problem, an addiction problem — it could be something traumatic that had happened, that they need support from different agencies to be able to move forward and be successful within our community," she said.
