Ontario Misrepresents Crime Data to Justify Closure of Lifesaving Supervised Consumption Service
The Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA) condemns the Government of Ontario for misleading the public about crime rates near Ottawa’s Somerset Street supervised consumption site to justify its closure.
A CTV News investigation reveals that, contrary to government claims, police data show crime around the Somerset site has not increased since it opened — in fact, some indicators have declined.
“This government misrepresented the evidence to close a service that saves lives and improves community safety,” said Ian Culbert, Executive Director of CPHA. “If they exaggerated crime statistics in Ottawa, it raises serious concerns about whether they did the same to rationalize shutting down the ten other supervised consumption services across the province.”
Supervised consumption services are a proven public health intervention. They prevent fatal overdoses, reduce the spread of infectious diseases, lessen the burden on emergency services, and provide an entry point into treatment and social supports. They also reduce discarded needles and improve community wellbeing by moving drug use off the streets and into safer, staffed environments.
As noted in CPHA's 2025 position statement, research evidence from across Canada demonstrates that the presence of supervised consumption sites does not cause higher crime rates in surrounding neighbourhoods.
CPHA welcomes Ontario’s investment in new addiction treatment hubs, announced earlier this year, but stresses that treatment alone is not enough. Harm reduction services — including supervised consumption, overdose prevention, and the distribution of safer-use supplies — remain essential pillars of the province’s response to the toxic drug crisis. Eliminating them will increase preventable deaths and worsen community harms.
“Ontario must stop playing politics with people’s lives,” said Culbert. “Every death from the toxic drug crisis is preventable, and evidence-based harm reduction services must be strengthened, not dismantled.”