Around 40 people rallied outside MPP Andrew Dowie's office Friday afternoon to demand immediate emergency funding to reopen SafePoint consumption and treatment centre.
"We're concerned about the continuing delay because delay means that SafePoint services are not available and we will be losing lives. We will have people in our community suffer needless overdoses because the vital services of SafePoint are not available," said Marion Overholt, a member of the CTS Advocacy Coalition.
Windsor's safe consumption and treatment centre was closed at the end of December after the province paused all new funding applications to conduct a critical incident review. The review stems from a shooting that happened near a site in the Greater Toronto Area.
After meeting with members of the CTS Coalition, Dowie said he was grateful for their passion and will continue to push for funding for addiction services.
"I want to encourage a prompt and speedy resolution of the critical incident review. I want it to be complete, I don't want the integrity of that to be compromised in any way but its important that we get a go forward direction for the offering of this service," said Dowie.
He indicated the review is nearing completion but could not give an exact timeframe.
