Mayor Josh Morgan and Middlesex-London’s Medical Officer of Health each expressed support for exploring the addition of inhalation services to Carepoint Supervised Drug Consumption Site on York Street after a motion by Coun. Susan Stevenson to restrict where harm reduction pipes can be distributed failed to find a supporter on the Community and Protective Services (CAPS) Committee. “Substance abuse and the open public drug use is a number one concern,” Stevenson told the committee. However, her motion seeking to forbid municipally-funded agencies from distributing harm reduction drug pipes, foil, straws, cookers, and snort kits in the Old East Village, Midtown, and Downtown London was not tabled by the CAPS Committee for debate. City staff confirmed federal funding that includes harm reduction services to homeless Londoners will expire at the end of this month, and municipal contracts with two outreach agencies do not include procurement or distribution of harm reduction kits. Meanwhile, other outreach teams notified the city that they are voluntarily not distributing inhalation kits along the stretch of Dundas Street through Old East Village, Midtown, and Downtown London. “We’re not necessarily funding this directly (and) there are some modifications that agencies are willing to do,” said Mayor Josh Morgan. He added, “I would support at some point, a renewed advocacy position with the province on increasing the number of treatment and recovery beds, or even the investigation about whether inhalation services at Carepoint is something that we want to pursue.” London Police Service (LPS) launched its Open-Air Substance Use Strategy in April 2025. Currently, officers can direct intravenous drug-users to attend Carepoint, but there is nowhere for police to refer people who smoke drugs. Medical Officer of Health Dr. Alex Summers had told the Committee, “There are other jurisdictions in Canada that have implemented safe inhalation facilities. That is not currently a funded resource here in the Province of Ontario, but over the last number of years given the increase in inhalation drug use, it would be a service I would be highly supportive of exploring in the City of London.” The committee voted to receive the letter from Stevenson, but made no recommendation regarding her motion. She intends to bring the motion forward for a vote at the Council meeting on March 31.
