'Tear in our social fabric': Greater Sudbury residents react to mayors' letter to Ford about drug addiction

There has been widespread reaction after several Ontario mayors, including Sudbury's, urged Premier Doug Ford to invoke the notwithstanding clause to address homeless encampments.

The letter, signed by 13 mayors, details several demands, including the authority to dismantle encampments, issue trespassing fines, prohibit open drug use and enforce involuntary drug rehabilitation and mental health treatment. It comes as the unofficial count of people experiencing homelessness in Sudbury has reportedly reached 500, according to the city's most recent "point-in-time" survey.

The letter was signed by Barrie's Alex Nuttall's Brampton's Patrick Brown, Brantford's Ken Davis, Cambridge's Jan Liggett, Chatham-Kent's Darrin Canniff, Clarington's Adrian Foster, Guelph's Cam Guthrie, Oakville Mayor Rob Burton, Oshawa Mayor Dan Carter, Pickering's Kevin Ashe, St. Catharines's Mayor Mat Siscoe, Sudbury's Paul Lefebvre and Windsor's Drew Dilkens.

In an interview, Lefebvre argued that current strategies are ineffective and the city needs more tools to help people experiencing drug addiction.

"They're looking at us saying, 'Help these people out.' When I tell them, well, I can't do anything about it because they have the right to decide for themselves … well, they don't have the capacity to decide for themselves," said the mayor.

"The Charter was never there to provide these types of rights to people that have severe mental health addictions that are clearly unwell."

Lefebvre added that invoking the notwithstanding clause is not to incarcerate people but to offer support.

The notwithstanding clause allows provincial legislatures to temporarily override parts of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. However, several groups and residents have voiced concerns, arguing that alternative ways exist to address the issue without infringing on basic rights.

Christopher Duncanson-Hales, a former Sudbury city council candidate, suggested strengthening the existing Mental Health Act instead. The act governs the assessment, treatment and care of individuals with mental health issues, balancing individual rights with the need for care, especially when someone may not be capable of making decisions about their treatment.

"We have the Mental Health Act in place that addresses some of those issues, but it needs to be strengthened. So it's a legislative policy response. Give the Mental Health Act what it needs to be able to help people who can't make those decisions for themselves, who don't have the capacity to make those decisions. It's already there," said Duncanson-Hales.

He said he experienced the opioid crisis firsthand when he lost his mother to an accidental OxyContin overdose in 2004.

"When we target unhoused people with addictions, as the mayors are proposing, we're really distracting from addressing the real social problems that are facing our societies. The presence of encampments in our cities isn't the root problem. It's a symptom of a deeper tear in our social fabric." He suggested that the city should first focus on strengthening existing mental health and addiction support services as well as creating more affordable housing and shelters.

'Homes Not Handcuffs' campaign

It's something Sudbury's Black Lives Matter agrees with.

The group has launched a Homes Not Handcuffs letter-writing campaign to stand against the use of the notwithstanding clause.

Black Lives Matter Sudbury suggests city council redirect the proposed $170-million budget for a new police station toward sustainable housing and essential mental health resources. More than 100 people have signed the petition in less than 24 hours.

"A strong commitment to mental health care, addiction services and affordable housing is essential if we are to make meaningful progress," wrote the group in a letter to the mayor. "This approach aligns with the community-based solutions you mentioned, which seek to address the underlying causes of homelessness. By reallocating these funds, Greater Sudbury can create a more inclusive and supportive environment that protects all residents' dignity and rights, while also addressing community safety in a sustainable and equitable manner."

Public Health Sudbury and Districts has offered evidence-based solutions that challenge some aspects of the mayor's letter.

In a statement to CBC News, the public health unit wrote, "Addiction treatment experts around the world state that a critical ingredient to success is readiness to change. When people are forced into treatment against their will, it is unlikely to succeed."

The public health unit also recommended programs that reduce stigma for those experiencing mental health, substance use, or homelessness challenges. It called for maintaining and expanding harm reduction policies and services as well as providing easy-to-access treatment options.