Harm reduction group to install ‘Safety Shed’ at Kitchener encampment

The encampment at 100 Victoria Street North in Kitchener in January 2026. (Dave Pettitt/CTV News)

A group of community members and advocates plans to install a structure aimed at supporting harm reduction efforts at a Kitchener Encampment.

The group Concerned People on Drug says it will erect what it calls a “Safety Shed” at the encampment located at 100 Victoria St. on Sunday afternoon.

Organizers say the structure is intended as a continuation of a harm reduction tent established at the site last summer.

According to the group, the initiative is part of a community response following the closure of Consumption and Treatment Service (CTS) sites in Ontario.

“The reality is that we are in the midst of an opioid crisis,” said Julian Ichim of the Alan Ryan People’s Community Defense Brigade, one of the organizations that started the harm reduction tent program, in a media release. “Criminalizing drug users makes individuals hide the problem, stops them from getting help and hinders the solutions to the crisis. The Safety Shed is a place where people can talk about their struggles and come up with a plan to move forward.”

Organizers say the shed will offer harm reduction supplies, information about medical and legal resources and programming focused on skills and safety training. They also say it will serve as a gathering space for discussions and creative activities such as art, poetry and storytelling.

Drug consumption sites have appeared in Waterloo Region in recent years following the establishment of the encampment in Victoria Park in 2022 and ongoing debates about services for people experiencing homelessness and substance use challenges.

The Region of Waterloo said in a statement to CTV News that it was made aware on Sunday by security staff that a structure was being assembled on the site.

“We will be looking into this further. Our primary concern remains the health and safety of individuals at the site,” the statement read.

Closure of the Consumption and Treatment Services Site

The Consumption and Treatment Services Site in Kitchener closed on April 1 after the government ordered the closure of 10 CTS locations across the province.

Despite a judge’s order allowing the sites to continue operating while the courts reviewed the legality of the closures, people working at the Kitchener site said a lack of provincial funding and a quickly-expiring building lease made it impossible to continue.

Days after the closure, Waterloo Regional Council was asked to pen a letter of support for CTS sites. However, councillors deferred the decision, fearing they could put funding for the newly opened Homeless and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hubs at risk.

In June, Sanguen Health Centre announced the drug checking program was back up and running. It currently operates at 130 Victoria Street North on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays from 1 p.m. until 8 p.m. and is offered out of the Community Health Van on Wednesday and Thursdays. Program users can test pills, powders and solids for unexpected substances.

With reporting by Jeff Pickel