Potential Consumption and Treatment Site location endorsed by Cambridge Council
Yesterday evening, Council endorsed 150 Main Street as the preferred location for a potential Consumption and Treatment Site (CTS) within the City of Cambridge.
Councillor Donna Reid put forward the motion to endorse the 150 Main Street site, a Region of Waterloo Public Health Building, due to the already existing wrap-around health and social services and accessibility for potential clients. The motion was passed with a vote of 7-1, with one member not voting.
A potential health provider or agency will now need to apply through the federal and provincial application process to open and operate a site. Council requested that “Region of Waterloo Public Health and health system partners of Ontario Health support as needed any potential future operators with an application.”
CTS sites are highly regulated by regional, federal and provincial governments. This includes the provision of wrap-around services, as well as requirements for regular evaluation and reporting, and for an ongoing engagement and liaison plan to address community concerns.
Sites are approved in communities where there has been a demonstrated need. In 2019, the first interim CTS site in the Region opened on Duke Street West in downtown Kitchener and became permanent in 2020.
CTS services are part of a broader integrated drug strategy and response under Public Health’s mandate. A site will not only prevent overdoses but serve as a pathway to access supportive services and treatment.
City Council had asked staff to explore alternative site options. A staff team reviewed 27 other sites and completed public consultation on two candidate sites: 15 Easton Street and 8 Oxford Street.
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