Brantford, Ontario will allow for vending machines that sell so-called harm reduction supplies.
The items include meth pipes, naloxone, crack kits and condoms, for free.
DeAnna Renn of the Brant County Health Unit (BCHU) said that the vending machine is the third of its kind in Ontario.
“Our community, like many across the province, has been struggling with opioid use and the impacts of that,” said Kim Baker of SOAR Community Services to CTV News. “We are higher than the provincial average in terms of hospital visits, overdoses and deaths related to substance use.”
Conservative MP Stephen Ellis slams the “delusional” Liberal-NDP coalition for supporting regulated hard drugs as a solution to the addiction crisis.
“300% more government-issued opioids are being seized by police in British Columbia,” he says. https://t.co/t50c3TNz74 pic.twitter.com/8WliFgyky4
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) April 11, 2024
The machine comes as a wave of HIV cases hits the country and as opioids kill 21 Canadians a day.
To access the products, individuals must create an account, which helps track the number of supplies taken and ensures that visitors do not take advantage of the service.
“We will be restocking the machine regularly and we have a way to detect when the supplies are low so that we can restock,” said Renn.
The machine will operate from 5 pm to 9 am. “The reason why we have those hours is because SOAR services is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. And if people need to access harm reduction supplies, they can access them within SOAR during business hours,” Renn explained.’
Premier Smith criticizes B.C.’s “safe supply” drug program in response to a question from Rebel News’ Alex Dhaliwal about legally-obtained narcotics entering Alberta.
“I don’t want anybody to think that there’s any such thing as a safe supply of opioids,” she says. pic.twitter.com/w1qqUyX7wu
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) April 2, 2024
It’s the latest indicator that Canada’s leadership is embracing open drug use.
Health Canada responded to an inquiry by Conservative MP Tako van Popta where they indicated that the Trudeau Liberals will spend $27 million for “safer supply” of deadly drugs in 2024-2025.
At Health Committee, Liberal MP tries to attack Alberta’s addictions minister on overdose increases after Alberta rejected Trudeau’s safe supply policies. @DanWilliamsALTA says that despite Alberta unwillingly being forced into an integrated illegal drug market thanks to a safe… pic.twitter.com/aPSMrKMhXq
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) June 7, 2024
The funding will be split between British Columbia and Ontario.
The largest recipient of federal funding for the distribution of opioids will be Toronto’s South Riverdale Community Health Centre, which received $2.7 million.
The second largest recipient is the K-W Working Centre for the Unemployed in Kitchener, Ontario, which will receive a $2.1 million federal grant to support the unemployed and working poor in the Waterloo region.
