A Toronto social service agency is suing the Ontario government, claiming its new legislation restricting overdose prevention sites violates the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. “We are challenging the act,” said Bill Sinclair, CEO of the Neighbourhood Group Community Services, which initiated the lawsuit, during a press conference Tuesday afternoon at 91 Bellevue Ave. in Kensington Market. He added that removing the sites will “deprive people of lifesaving care.” The Community Care and Recovery Act, passed by the Ontario Legislature last week, is set to come into effect on March 31, 2025. The legislation introduces new zoning restrictions that require existing consumption treatment service sites — commonly known as supervised injection sites — to be located at least 200 metres from schools and daycare centres. As a result, 10 of the province’s current sites will be forced to close, including five in Toronto. The NGCS’s Kensington Market overdose prevention site, which is the only self-funded site affected by the new regulations, will be among those shut down. The agency argues that the legislation unlawfully limits access to critical harm reduction services, jeopardizing public health and violating the Charter-protected rights to life, liberty, and security. The lawsuit contends that the legislation exposes vulnerable Ontarians to increased risks of death and disease. The lawsuit, filed to the Superior Court of Justice on Dec. 9, further claims that the act unlawfully limits access to these critical services that have proven to save lives and reduce the spread of infectious diseases. According to the lawsuit, between 2020 and 2024, Ontario’s supervised consumption sites served 178,253 people, reversed 21,979 overdoses, and made more than 500,000 referrals for substance use treatment. The legal challenge also argues that the Community Care and Recovery Act violates the Charter by denying access to services that save lives. The lawsuit further contends that the act imposes cruel and unusual punishment under Section 12 of the Charter, as it exposes people who use drugs to an increased risk of harm in a manner “degrading, dehumanizing, and incompatible with basic conceptions of human dignity.” “We know we need more sites to save lives and the governments legislature does the opposite,” said Sandra Ka Hon Chu, co-executive director of the HIV Legal Network, an organization backing the legal challenge against the Ontario government. The group, who spoke at the afternoon press conference, supports supervised consumption services and released a 2024 report, Bill Sinclair, CEO of the Neighbourhood Group Community Services, the agency leading the lawsuit, said, “These sites make a positive impact on individuals and the communities.” The lawsuit also claims the legislation is discriminatory, denying people with substance use disorders — many of whom are marginalized and disadvantaged — access to proven medical treatment. The agency is asking the court to either exempt the Kensington Market site from the new regulations or declare the relevant sections of the Community Care and Recovery Act invalid. In response, a spokesperson for Health Minister Sylvia Jones did not comment directly on the lawsuit but provided an emailed statement to the Star, saying, “Our government is taking action to protect children and their families while taking the next step to create a system of care that prioritizes community safety, treatment, and recovery by investing $378 million to create HART (homelessness and addiction recovery treatment) Hubs. Each drug consumption site closing will have the opportunity to turn into a HART Hub.” Sinclair of the Neighbourhood Group Community Services warned that closing the supervised consumption sites will harm many people in the city. “These sites make a positive impact on individuals and the communities.”Real Madrid will be looking to capitalize on their games in hand and put pressure on Barcelona to slip up. With a squad brimming with talent and experience, they will be confident of closing the gap and potentially overtaking their rivals in the race for the title.
What’s in Constitution? India’s first such museum will tell you
Title: A-Shares Open Higher Across the Board Today: Seize the OpportunityNagpur: Congress and NCP (SP) faced setbacks in Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region, with party candidates losing from the Saoner and Katol assembly seats in Nagpur district. Congress leader and former minister Sunil Kedar’s wife, Anuja Kedar, lost to BJP’s Ashish Deshmukh by 26,401 votes in the Saoner assembly seat. Deshmukh polled 1,19,725 votes, while Anuja Kedar bagged 93,324. Sunil Kedar represented Saoner, a Congress stronghold, four times since 2004. However, he could not contest the elections due to his conviction in the Nagpur District Central Cooperative Bank scam. BJP candidate Ashish Deshmukh is the son of two-time MLA Ranjit Deshmukh. He had unsuccessfully fought against Sunil Kedar in the 2009 assembly elections. Ashish Deshmukh, a former MLA from the Katol constituency, had defeated undivided NCP’s Anil Deshmukh in 2014 on a BJP ticket. This time, the saffron party fielded him from Saoner. The Congress’s MVA ally, NCP (SP), faced an upset in the Katol assembly seat, where its candidate and former minister Anil Deshmukh’s son Salil lost to BJP’s Charansingh Thakur. Thakur secured 1,04,338 votes against Salil Deshmukh’s 65,522 votes. In 2019, Anil Deshmukh won the seat by defeating Thakur by 17,057 votes.The swift move to arrest Yoon Suk-yeol comes as a bold and unprecedented step by the government, signaling a strong stance against corruption and a commitment to upholding the rule of law. The decision has been met with both support and criticism, with proponents of the resolution praising it as a necessary measure to ensure accountability and justice, while opponents decrying it as a politically motivated move to undermine Yoon Suk-yeol's chances in the upcoming presidential election.
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The story begins with a resolute woman’s quest to find her missing husband in China, leading her on a profound journey of truth, love, and perseverance as she faces the oppressive forces that shatter her family. The narrative takes viewers on a challenging journey in pursuit of truth and justice. Set in Toronto, the story transcends time and geography, weaving together multiple perspectives and interlaced timelines. Through its narrative, the film immerses the audience in the characters’ memories and realities, highlighting their struggles against the backdrop of both Canadian and Chinese settings. Delving deep into the lives of ordinary individuals and their families persecuted for their beliefs or speech, the film offers a moving and thought-provoking examination of their hardships. With its powerful social significance and emotional depth, “Where Are You” aims to resonate with audiences and inspire greater awareness and support for those fighting for freedom and human dignity. Yang said that this is more than just a story of searching for loved ones—it is a call for freedom and human dignity. The film seeks to shed light on voices often ignored, highlighting how standing up for truth and humanity is treated as a criminal act. Yang is known for “Claws of the Red Dragon” (2019), “Coming for You” (2019), “Eternal Fifty Minutes” (Coming for You 2) (2020), and “Once We Were Divine” (2023). His “Claws of the Red Dragon” was nominated for Best TV Movie at the 2020 Canadian Screen Awards. That film, also inspired by true events, delves into the arrest of “mega hi-tech Chinese heiress” and CFO Meng Wanzhou in Canada, which sparked a political firestorm involving the United States, China, and Canada.