TORONTO – The federal health minister is expected to announce new measures to increase access to treatment for substance abuse at an opioid symposium in Toronto today.
Ginette Petitpas Taylor is set to make the announcement after participating in a panel with Bill Blair, the federal minister for organized crime reduction.
A description of the event on the government’s website says the two ministers will discuss some of the “actions taken to respond to the opioid crisis” as well as “priorities for the way forward.”
Toronto Mayor John Tory, Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson and B.C. Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Judy Darcy are also participating.
The announcement comes as Ontario grapples with the future of its overdose prevention sites, after the provincial government announced last month it would halt the opening of new sites while it conducts a review of their effectiveness.
The moratorium was condemned by more than 100 health groups, who said the move was putting lives at risk.