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Ontario Launches Review of Mandatory Addiction Treatment for Correctional System

The province will study British Columbia's model and prepare recommendations for cabinet by fall, as opioid deaths and inmate substance use rise.

Queen’s Park in Toronto, Monday, Feb. 20, 2023. The Ontario Legislative Assembly resumes sitting tomorrow. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

Overview

  • Ontario has initiated consultations to explore involuntary addiction treatment for individuals in jail, on probation, or on parole, with a plan to present cabinet recommendations by autumn 2025.
  • The government is focusing on British Columbia's approach, which integrates addiction and mental health treatment, rather than Alberta's broader measures.
  • In 2023, over 2,600 opioid-related deaths occurred in Ontario, marking a 50% increase since 2019, while nearly half of inmates have substance use alerts.
  • Nine supervised consumption sites have been closed under new provincial regulations, with a shift toward abstinence-based treatment hubs and expanded treatment beds.
  • Concurrent legislation reintroduced this week allocates $70 million for housing and shelter spaces while increasing fines for trespassing on public land.