Thunder Bay to open new addiction treatment hub as supervised consumption site closes
Ontario government's April 1 timeline is 'ambitious,' says operator
The only supervised consumption site in northern Ontario is transitioning into a Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hub.
Path 525, which is run by NorWest Community Health Centres (NWCHC) in Thunder Bay, is closing at the end of March — since the province introduced new rules in August that the sites cannot be located within 200 metres of schools and child-care settings.
On Thursday, the provincial government announced that Path 525, along with eight other supervised consumption sites in Ontario, have been approved to transition into HART Hubs, instead.
"It's really going to be looking at a really comprehensive array of services, and co-locating services will be really important as well as developing really an integrated system of care with multiple partners," said Juanita Lawson, chief executive officer of NWCHC.
Thunder Bay continues to have one of the highest opioid-related death rates in the province, at a rate of 59.6 per 100,000 population in the first half of 2024.
HART Hubs will be eligible for an average of up to four times more funding than supervised consumption sites, the province says. Operators will also get one-time funding for start-up costs.
According to the government, the Hubs will provide:
- Primary care;
- Mental health services, including addiction care and support;
- Social services, and
- Employment support.
"HART Hubs will also add an estimated 375 highly supportive housing units, in addition to addiction recovery and treatment beds, that will help thousands of people each year transition to more stable long-term housing," the province says.
However, they will not allow supervised drug consumption, safer supply, or needle exchange programs — all of which are currently offered at Path 525.
In all, the government plans to spend $378 million on 19 Hart Hubs across Ontario, with the hopes of having them open by April 1.
"That is an incredibly ambitious target, given the logistics of closing down Path 525 and hiring and staffing and co-location and work plans," Lawson said. "We, of course, will work towards that as diligently as we can and work with all of the supports at the ministry."
Time, relationships and trust
Path 525 opened in 2018. It's located in the basement of NWCHC at 525 Simpson St. on the city's south side and is near a number of other organizations, including Grace Place, the Thunder Bay Food Bank, Shelter House, and People Advocating for Change Through Empowerment.
There may not be enough space at the site's current location to accommodate the range of services included in the HART Hub proposal, Lawson explained.
"This is a very robust proposal and a really robust program with a lot of services, so we're really excited about that, but we also need to look at the space options," she said.
NWCHC already works with a number of community partners, alongside staff who have lived experience of addiction and other challenges that clients are going through. Maintaining clients' connections with these individuals will be essential during the transition, said Lawson.
"Bringing people into something new often requires time, relationship building and trust building.
"We are really hoping to continue to look at our clients that are currently accessing the safe supply program or Path 525 — prioritizing them for care and making sure they don't get lost," she said.
As for the housing aspect of the Hub model, she said the organization will work closely with the Thunder Bay District Social Services Administration Board (TBDSSAB) to keep clients connected to care, no matter where they are along the housing continuum.
'Where do those people go that aren't ready?'
Carolyn Karle started the DEK Foundation after her daughter, Dayna Elizabeth Karle, died of an unintentional overdose in September 2021. The foundation's goal is to open a pre- and post-treatment recovery home for women.
Karle said she's excited about what a Hart Hub could mean for the city, but has concerns about how clients will feel once they can no longer use drugs at the facility — and whether that will deter them from accessing services.
"It is worrisome," Karle said. "Where do those people go that aren't ready [for treatment]?"
The loss of Path 525's safer supply program is also concerning, she said, especially with how toxic the street supply has become.
At this point, it is unclear whether Path 525's drug analyzer machine — which is used to test drugs clients bring in from the street — will be permitted at the hub, Lawson said.
While she doesn't know if her daughter used Path 525, Karle said Dayna would have "100 per cent" gone somewhere to get a safer supply of drugs if she could have.
Still, Thunder Bay is in desperate need of more addictions support in all forms.
"I've met so many people that are early in the stages of recovery and loving life," Karle said. "The factors are they had support, a ticket to get there. They had an open bed for detox, an open bed for treatment — that's not always the case, right, in that moment."
Karle often visits the staff at Path 525 and said their personal connections with clients make a big difference — something she hopes to see continue at the HART Hub.
"They built relationships in there with people. They talked about their dreams and their hopes and then they started trusting the staff," she said.
As Lawson and her team prepare for Path 525's closure in the spring, she said it's important for people to remember the challenges facing people who live with addictions — and how taking steps toward recovery isn't easy.
"We always want to think about the compassion and the kindness that we need to have for individuals who have lots of other factors that compound their process of change," she said.
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