Quick Links
Contact Us
On October 12, 2021, 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.
Next Steps
A potential health provider or agency will 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.
CTS Sites in the Waterloo Region
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.
Planning Study
An interim control bylaw was put in place in order to complete a planning study to review zoning regulations for potential consumption and treatment sites in Cambridge. After the completion of the study, Council decided that the Consumption and Treatment Services (CTS) site will be permitted anywhere as public use if operated by a government body or any public health care agency. In order to receive provincial funding, City Council must endorse the site before a site can be established. Read the report.
Find more information on the planning study process.