This statement can be attributed to the HIV Legal Network.<\/i><\/p>\n
June 8, 2021<\/b> \u2014 <\/b>As Toronto continues to experience unprecedented numbers of overdose deaths, each new month grimly surpassing records set in the last, we join with<\/b> 47 other Toronto-based civil society organizations (see below) and five former Toronto mayors to call for urgent action to decriminalize simple drug possession within city limits<\/a>. <\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Toronto can achieve this by requesting an exemption from federal drug laws from the federal Minister of Health. And there is no time to waste: from May 2-6 alone, Toronto Paramedic Services responded to 13 fatal suspected opioid-related overdose calls, and the numbers keep climbing.<\/span><\/p>\n In response to this ongoing public health crisis, <\/b>the Toronto Board of Health is considering a report released yesterday from Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health with two important recommendations aimed at decriminalizing simple drug possession. First, the report reiterates previous calls to the federal Minister of Health to use her authority under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act <\/i>(CDSA<\/i>) to exempt people from prosecution for drug possession for personal use. Second, it recommends that the Toronto Medical Officer of Health convene and lead a working group guided by the expertise of people with lived experience of drug use, as well as other harm reduction and drug policy experts, as a step toward requesting such an exemption, instead of continuing to criminalize simple drug possession. <\/b><\/span><\/p>\n This report, which will be considered by the Toronto Board of Health at their meeting next Monday, June 14, is in keeping with calls to decriminalize from civil society and former Board resolutions.<\/span> We are pleased to see this leadership and urge the Board not to delay in taking concrete, immediate action to develop and submit an official request for an exemption.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n In addition to the civil society organizations demanding change, former mayors David Crombie, John Sewell, Art Eggleton, Barbara Hall, and David Miller have all endorsed a call for Toronto to seek a federal exemption,<\/span><\/b> demonstrating their ongoing commitment to the city and their understanding that decriminalization is key to reducing the alarmingly high rates of drug poisoning deaths. <\/span><\/p>\n Collectively, we are asking Toronto to:<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n Finally, we note that the patchwork approach to decriminalization that is emerging represents a failure of federal leadership. Vancouver has already submitted a formal exemption request and is awaiting a response from the Government of Canada. The Province of British Columbia has stated its interest. And now Toronto\u2019s Medical Officer of Health is recommending a Toronto exemption request. But if Canada were to show leadership and issue a blanket exemption to decriminalize simple possession across the country, this fractured, piecemeal process could be avoided. <\/b>Until <\/b>that time, cities across Canada cannot wait for the federal government to act. <\/span><\/p>\n We urge the Board of Health to approve this recommendation from Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health and push forward with decriminalization today.<\/span><\/b> Time to act, Toronto: decriminalize now.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n \u2013 30 \u2013<\/p>\n Quotes from former Mayors of Toronto:<\/b><\/p>\n “It is heartbreaking to see the damage left in the wake of the overdose crisis. It’s also unjust to see how racialized people are targeted by the current drug laws. The time is now \u2014 we must recognize this as a public health and not a criminal issue.”\u00a0Art\u00a0Eggleton, former Mayor of Toronto and retired Canadian Senator<\/p>\n “I’ve been a youth worker, a lawyer practicing criminal law, Mayor of Toronto, and a human rights commissioner. During my career, I have seen no evidence that criminalizing drug use has ever been of any benefit. Toronto needs a health and human rights-based approach.”\u00a0Barbara\u00a0Hall, former Mayor of Toronto<\/p>\n Quote from the Registered Nurses\u2019 Association of Ontario:<\/b><\/p>\n \u201cPeople who struggle with substance use are no different from those who suffer with cancer or any other health condition. For nurses, saving people from harm and ameliorating suffering is an imperative. For this reason, decriminalizing personal possession of drugs must be part and parcel of any harm reduction strategy because it decreases stigma and opens the door to hope, help and health.\u201d Dr. Doris Grinspun, CEO, Registered Nurses\u2019 Association of Ontario<\/span><\/p>\n Download our primer, which outlines\u00a0why and how\u00a0<\/b>provincial <\/b>and municipal governments should\u00a0<\/b>request such an exemption:\u00a0<\/b>www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/decriminalizing-people-who-use-drugs-a-primer-for-municipal-and-provincial-governments\/?lang=en<\/span><\/a><\/span>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n About the HIV Legal Network<\/b><\/p>\n The HIV Legal Network (www.hivlegalnetwork.ca), formerly the Canadian HIV\/AIDS Legal Network, promotes the human rights of people living with, at risk of or affected by HIV or AIDS, through research and analysis, litigation and other advocacy, public education, and community mobilization.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Contact<\/b><\/p>\n Janet Butler-McPhee, Director of Communications and Advocacy<\/p>\n HIV Legal Network<\/p>\n Telephone: +1 647-295-0861<\/p>\n Email: jbutler@hivlegalnetwork.ca<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Call to Action Signatories List<\/b><\/p>\n 2-Spirited People of the 1st<\/sup> Nations<\/span><\/p>\n Action Hepatitis Canada<\/span><\/p>\n Addictions and Mental Health Ontario<\/span><\/p>\n AIDS ACTION NOW!<\/span><\/p>\n AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT)<\/span><\/p>\n Alliance for Healthier Communities<\/span><\/p>\n Breakaway Community Services<\/span><\/p>\n Butterfly (Asian and Migrant Sex Workers Support Network) <\/span><\/p>\n Canadian Association of Nurses in HIV\/AIDS Care (CANAC\/ACIIS)<\/span><\/p>\n Canadian Lawyers for International Human Rights (CLAIHR)<\/span><\/p>\n CATIE<\/span><\/p>\n Centre on Drug Policy Evaluation<\/span><\/p>\n Davenport Perth Neighbourhood and Community Health Centre<\/span><\/p>\n East End Community Health Centre<\/span><\/p>\n Elizabeth Fry Toronto <\/span><\/p>\n Families for Addiction Recovery<\/span><\/p>\n Flemingdon Health Centre<\/span><\/p>\n Fred Victor<\/span><\/p>\n Heart to Heart First Aid CPR Services Inc<\/span><\/p>\n HIV & AIDS Legal Clinic (Ontario)<\/span><\/p>\n HIV Legal Network<\/span><\/p>\n Inner City Family Health Team<\/span><\/p>\n John Howard Society of Toronto <\/span><\/p>\n Lance Krasman Centre for Community Mental Health<\/span><\/p>\n Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP)<\/span><\/p>\n M & M International Inc.<\/span><\/p>\n Maggie’s Toronto Sex Workers Action Project<\/span><\/p>\n No Pride in Policing Coalition<\/span><\/p>\n PARC (The Parkdale Activity-Recreation Centre)<\/span><\/p>\n Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre<\/span><\/p>\n PASAN (Prisoners HIV\/AIDS Support Action Network)<\/span><\/p>\n Recovery Care<\/span><\/p>\n Regent Park Community Health Centre<\/span><\/p>\n Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario<\/span><\/p>\n Ron Rosenes Consulting<\/span><\/p>\n Shining Waters Regional Council, United Church of Canada<\/span><\/p>\n Sistering<\/span><\/p>\n South Riverdale Community Health Centre<\/span><\/p>\n Street Health<\/span><\/p>\n The 519<\/span><\/p>\n The Ryerson Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy<\/span><\/p>\n The TRIP! Project<\/span><\/p>\n Toronto Harm Reduction Alliance (THRA)<\/span><\/p>\n Toronto Overdose Prevention Society<\/span><\/p>\n Vibrant Healthcare Alliance<\/span><\/p>\n Women & HIV\/AIDS initiative (WHAI)<\/span><\/p>\n Women’s Health in Women’s Hands Community Health Centre<\/span><\/p>\n Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF)<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" CIVIL SOCIETY GROUPS, FIVE FORMER TORONTO MAYORS CALL ON TORONTO TO DECRIMINALIZE SIMPLE DRUG POSSESSION NOW HIV Legal Network comment on report to Toronto Board of Health report This statement can be attributed to the HIV Legal Network. June 8, 2021 \u2014 As Toronto continues to experience unprecedented numbers of overdose deaths, each new month … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"publication_topics":[147,201],"publication_language":[184],"class_list":["post-19547","news22","type-news22","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","publication_topics-drug-policy","publication_topics-hepatitis-c","publication_language-english"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news22\/19547","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news22"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news22"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news22\/19547\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24292,"href":"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news22\/19547\/revisions\/24292"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19547"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"publication_topics","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication_topics?post=19547"},{"taxonomy":"publication_language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication_language?post=19547"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n