An Ontario court will hear arguments today from a Toronto supervised consumption site challenging the legality of a new provincial law that will soon shut down 10 such sites and prevent new ones from opening.
The province passed legislation last year that banned consumption sites deemed too close to schools or daycares as it moves to an abstinence-based treatment model.
The Neighbourhood Group, which runs an overdose prevention site in downtown Toronto, launched a lawsuit in December along with two people who use the space.
Ten consumption sites will cease operations by April 1, when new rules take effect banning them within 200 metres of schools and daycares under the Community Care and Recovery Act.
The legal challenge argues the new law violates both the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Constitution, including the right to life, liberty and security of the person.
The province argues that there is increased crime and disorder in the immediate vicinity of supervised consumption sites and that the sites themselves attract drug dealers.