The Consumption and Treatment Services site is located at 150 Duke Street West in Kitchener. The site is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week, including holidays. The site is operated by Sanguen Health Centre in partnership with Region of Waterloo Public Health.
The CTS site operates under an exemption to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) and provides the following services:
- Safe consumption/overdose prevention services
- Harm reduction supply distribution
- Wound care
- Sharps disposal (new containers available, used supplies accepted)
- Mental health support
- Access to social services, primary care and treatment supports on site or by referral
Consumption and Treatment Services is one part of a comprehensive harm reduction strategy that supports health equity and health as a human right. Research demonstrates that CTS services provide following benefits:
- Saves lives by reducing the number of fatal and non-fatal drug overdoses.
- Reduces the spread of infectious diseases like HIV and Hepatitis C among people who inject drugs.
- Connects people who use drugs with primary health care services, addictions treatment, and social services like housing and other supports.
- Creates a safer community by reducing drug use in public spaces and providing options for proper needle disposal.
For more information about Consumption and Treatment services, visit Sanguen Health Centre
| CTS Data Dashboard |
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For definitions of the above data, refer to the CTS Dashboard Data Definitions document.
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| CTS Resources and Community Engagement |
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Consumption and Treatment Services - A Harm Reduction Program
Virtual tour of interim site
Frequently Asked Questions
Community engagement
Community engagement is an important component of Consumption and Treatment Services implementation. The CTS Community Advisory Group meets to share updates about the site, help with planning to ensure services are meeting the needs of participants, to ensure mechanisms are in place to respond to any issues should they arise, and continue to proactively connect with stakeholders in proximity to the site to answer questions and prevent issues from occurring.
Meeting Notes from past meetings
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| CTS Chronology |
| Date |
Information |
| October 2017-August 2018 |
Research identifies the need for Consumption and Treatment Services and where they should be located and 150 Duke Street West is one Kitchener possibility that meets all the criteria |
| August 14, 2018 |
150 Duke Street West is first approved by Regional Council as a possible Kitchener location |
| January 8, 2019 |
150 Duke Street West community consultation is approved by Regional Council |
| March 2019 |
Community consultation report shows strong support for 150 Duke Street West compared to other Kitchener locations |
| April 9, 2019 |
150 Duke Street West is recommended because of:
- Large size – space for: wrap around supports, daytime rest spaces, possible expansion
- Commercial appeal: can use service anonymously
- Downtown core location
- Community and Implementation Working Group support
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| April 9, 2019 |
Board of Health approves recommendation of submitting a Federal and Provincial application to have Consumption and Treatment Services at 150 Duke Street West.
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| April 15, 2019 |
Kitchener City Council approves moving forward with a Federal and Provincial application for Consumption and Treatment Services at 150 Duke Street West. |
| April 17, 2019 |
Board of Health ratifies decision to move forward with Consumption and Treatment Services at 150 Duke Street West in Kitchener. Public Health to proceed with applying for an exemption under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act through Health Canada, and to the Ministry of Health and Long-term Care for funding. |
| June 5, 2019 |
Board of Health approves recommendation for the interim site to be located at 150 Duke Street West, and agreed to revise the 2019 budget to fund the one-time capital and ongoing operating costs for the interim site. |
| September 9, 2019 |
The lease negotiations for 150 Duke Street were completed and the lease was signed. The work on the interim site started and Council was advised at the Community Services Council meeting. |
| October 15, 2019 |
The interim site began operations on the second floor of 150 Duke Street West. On this same date, the Ministry of Health announced their approval of 150 Duke Street West as a provincially funded CTS. Renovations on the first floor for the full CTS site with on-site wrap-around services are underway and are expected to be complete by late summer 2020. |
| October 14, 2020 |
Permanent CTS site opens. |
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| CTS and Policing |
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The Waterloo Regional Police Service works in partnership with the Waterloo Region Integrated Drugs Strategy in support of a comprehensive four-pillar approach. This includes Prevention, Harm Reduction, Recovery and Rehabilitation, and Enforcement and Justice. The Waterloo Region Police Service is committed to a harm reduction approach to those addicted to drugs, while focusing enforcement efforts on individuals that manufacture, import, or traffic illegal drugs. Police confirm the following in relation to Consumption and Treatment Services in Waterloo Region:
- Consumption and Treatment Services requires Federal Government approval, which is granted by the federal Minister of Health for legal exemption under Section 56 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. This allows for the legal operation of these services.
- Across Canada, Consumption and Treatment Services have not been shown to increase drug consumption or drug trafficking in the surrounding areas. It is anticipated, however, that these services will result in a decrease in overdoses, a decrease in unsafe practices like syringe sharing, and enhanced promotion of public order by decreasing public consumption and substance use-related litter.
- The Waterloo Region Police Service supports the use of the Consumption and Treatment Services by those using it for its intended purposes. However, the laws with regard to criminal activity and public disorder, including in the immediate area of the Consumption and Treatment Service, will be enforced.
- There is no “buffer zone” or “free zone” in regards to a Consumption and Treatment Service and the laws surrounding illegal drug use are enforced everywhere except the exempted area inside the site building. The Police service will continue to enforce the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act by targeting those who supply drugs or otherwise profit off those challenged by addiction. The Waterloo Regional Police Service will continue to work closely with the community and community partners to understand and address crime and disorder in the downtown core and the impacts, or potential impacts, of a Consumption and Treatment Service.
For more information, contact: Waterloo Regional Police Service at 519-570-9777
This information has been adapted from the Waterloo Region Police Service’s Consumption and Treatment Services information pamphlet.
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| CTS in Cambridge |
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On June 19, 2019, Cambridge Council passed a resolution in support of proceeding with the identification of candidate sites for Consumption and Treatment Services with wrap around services in Cambridge, outside of the core areas; and in an area of need as per the requirements of the provincial Consumption and Treatment Services Program.
As well, the Council directed the development of a community consultation approach be developed in consultation with the proposed Community Wellbeing Advisory Committee to support the sited identification. This work will be supported by a professional facilitator contracted to assist with the design and implementation of the community consultation for a site to be identified as a potential location for Consumption and Treatment Services in Cambridge.
Public Health staff continues to work with Cambridge staff on this process to identify candidate sites.
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