FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – November 3, 2025
The Government of Ontario has announced they will be pulling all funding for the last remaining Safe Consumption Site (SCS) in Toronto’s West end, at 1229 Queen St. W. Parkdale, site of Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre. This closure will come into effect on November 22nd, 2025.
The announcement comes just months after four other SCS were forced to close in Toronto under Bill 223. The Parkdale SCS has seen an increase in people using their site by more then 50% since the closures of SCS in Toronto back in April.
The decision to close this SCS will have astounding impacts on the Parkdale community and our clients. There will be more overdose deaths in public places, like bathrooms, alleyways, parks, and laneways, leaving the responsibility to respond to these overdoses by a majority untrained community. Between March 2020-May 2024 the Parkdale SCS saw 14,409 visits, made 11,678 referrals to outside community services and reversed a total of 819 overdoses.
As a harm reduction organization in Parkdale, we know just how important the Parkdale SCS is to our community and clients. Lives will be lost, and hearts will be shattered because of this closure. Breakaway will explore every avenue possible to support our clients and community through this transition, but nothing is as effective in saving lives as keeping the site open.