Earlier in March, the Ontario Superior Court ruled that ten Consumption Treatment Service (CTS) locations that had been ordered to close by the Ontario government could remain open while the court reviewed the legality of the forced closures. Despite this decision, nine sites will still close, including the Kitchener site operated by Sanguen Health Service.

“We have lost our provincial funding for the program, today’s the day our Health Canada exemption expires to legally operate, and we have lost our location,” said Anne Phillips, Clinical Director of Sanguen Health Services, in her interview with CTV News.

In August 2024, Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones announced the province would ban supervised consumption sites within 200 metres of schools and child-care centres, which meant that 10 sites out of 23 across the province would have to close. It was also announced that the province would fund 18 new Homeless and Addiction Recovery Treatment Hubs, or HART Hubs, in addition to the nine supervised consumption sites that agreed to become HART Hubs instead of being forced to close.

Subsequently, harm reduction advocates took the province to court over the decision to close CTS sites across Ontario, seeking an injunction to stop the closures on March 31, the deadline set by the province. Moreover, they argued that closing the sites violates both the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Constitution, including the right to life, liberty and security of the person. Justice John Callaghan of the Superior Court of Justice granted an injunction while the decision on the Charter challenge was pending.

“We find the judge’s acknowledgement of the potential harm caused by these closures hopeful,” reads the statement posted by Sanguen Health Centre on social media. “However, the situation is complex. The absence of provincial funding and the expiration of our CDSA exemption present significant barriers to maintaining services.”The CTS site in Kitchener was the only one in the Waterloo region. According to the statement released by the Sanguen Health Centre, there is a plan to open a new outreach centre in Downtown Kitchener. “As of April 1, 2025, Sanguen’s Consumption and Treatment Services (CTS) site in Kitchener is permanently closed due to the passing of Bill 223. Since opening in 2019, CTS has provided a vital, life-saving service—offering a safe, supervised space, overdose prevention, healthcare, and connection to community support,” reads a statement published on the Sanguen website. “While this closure marks a significant loss, Sanguen is still here. We remain committed to harm reduction and will continue providing services, including outreach, primary care, peer support, and overdose prevention training.”