The Ford government announced Thursday that nine of the 10 supervised consumption sites forced to shut down through recent provincial legislation will be converted into treatment hubs.
The nine sites in Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton, Kitchener, Guelph and Thunder Bay will be turned into what it the province calls "homelessness and addiction recovery treatment hubs'' by March 31, the date by which they were slated to close.
Windsor submitted its HART Hub application last fall and Ontario's associate minister of mental health and addictions, Michael Tibollo, told AM800 that he hoped the city's application came with a robust plan that included all community partners working collaboratively.
Windsor-Tecumseh Conservative MPP Andrew Dowie says the city's application is still being reviewed.
"I look forward to getting word shortly about that application just in the weeks ahead because the goal is to have all the HART Hubs open by April 1, 2025."
Federal approval allowed Windsor's SafePoint to open in April 2023, but provincial approval was needed for funding beyond the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit's budget.
The facility located at 101 Wyandotte Street East closed its doors on Jan. 1, 2024.
Dowie says Thursday's announcement was for pre-existing provincially approved supervised consumption sites.
"The Windsor application will be responded to as part of a different announcement."
He says those suffering from addiction need to be provided a path to recovery.
"This is one small step on that path, converting the existing sites and ultimately we need these services locally, and I'm fighting tooth and nail to secure them for our community."
The government's plan includes a total of 19 homelessness and addiction recovery treatment hubs, as well as 375 highly supportive housing units.
-With files from The Canadian Press