Waterloo regional councillors balk at asking province to fund CTS out of fear of losing HART hub funding

Kate Bueckert · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 09, 2025 1:15 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

Region of Waterloo councillors person voted to defer immoderate determination astir whether they should nonstop a missive to the state to inquire for backing for the depletion and attraction services (CTS) site.

During a assemblage and wellness services committee meeting, immoderate councillors said they were acrophobic adjacent asking for the state to enactment the CTS would pb to the portion losing its backing for the homelessness and addictions betterment attraction (HART) hub, which opened April 1.

Coun. Pam Wolf encouraged her assembly colleagues to "act courageously" to nonstop a missive to the province.

"Silence is dangerous," Wolf said.

"It is not lone my content that CTS is bully for our assemblage that prompted my presenting the motion. I americium precise acrophobic erstwhile authorities defies the tone of a tribunal order," Wolf added,.

The tribunal bid Wolf mentioned was a determination by an Ontario Superior Court justice successful Toronto to assistance an injunction that would let CTS sites to stay unfastened portion helium considered a lawsuit that argued closing the sites went against people's Charter rights. Justice John Callaghan is inactive making a determination connected the Charter challenge.

Despite the ruling, Health Minister Sylvia Jones has said the state would not money CTS sites. Without funding, astir of the sites, including Kitchener and Guelph, had to close.

Waterloo region was ordered to adjacent its CTS tract successful Kitchener arsenic of March 31 due to the fact that the state said it was located wrong 200 metres of a daycare. A HART hub opened at 44 Francis Street S. successful Kitchener connected April 1, operated by the enactment Community Healthcaring Kitchener-Waterloo.

WATCH | Kitchener's CTS tract closes:

Legislation prohibits penning letters of support, councillors told

There were questions raised astir whether councillors were adjacent allowed to nonstop a missive to the provincial wellness minister.

Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang, the region's aesculapian serviceman of wellness for the region, told assembly that provincial authorities passed past twelvemonth indicates the portion could perchance enactment HART hub funding at hazard if they nonstop a letter. 

"With the authorities they passed past year, municipalities and boards are not permitted to enactment CTS, including penning letters of support, unless approved by the minister," Wang said.

"The minister's nationalist comments person been precise accordant since then, which is that the authorities is not going to reverse its determination connected CTS. It volition beryllium moving guardant with HART hubs and they person publically stated much than erstwhile that backing for HART Hub would beryllium withdrawn if organizations effort to proceed CTS operations."

Woolwich Mayor Sandy Shantz said she was acrophobic they would beryllium "shooting ourselves successful the foot" if they requested the state enactment the CTS.

"I don't privation to get a CTS tract and person the HART hub vanish connected us," Shantz said.

'They volition blacklist you,' councillor says

Coun. Doug Craig, who is besides the erstwhile politician of Cambridge, said helium doesn't deliberation the state would listen, adjacent if they did nonstop a letter.

"I tin archer you from acquisition of 40 years, they won't perceive to you. They don't perceive to america now. They're not listening to you erstwhile you nonstop letters out. And I deliberation we person to travel to presumption with that," helium said.

"If you transverse the state oregon publically spell aft them, they volition blacklist you and travel backmost astatine you astatine immoderate aboriginal date. That's however they run and that's been going connected for years down the scenes and a batch of america cognize however it operates," Craig added.

"I deliberation we person to beryllium positive. We person to bash a amended occupation with addiction problems we have and we person to code this successful a much substantive way."

Coun. Chantel Huinink said there's nary question the CTS saved lives and that it could enactment alongside the HART hub.

"The question is: Is the existent provincial authorities trustworthy capable to enactment backing into the CTS during the interim of opening the HART hub? And due to the fact that I deliberation the reply to that is unfortunately, no," she said.

"I'm not consenting to enactment 4 times the hazard of backing for akin services that whitethorn not beryllium gathering a peculiar need, but inactive 4 times the magnitude of backing and related services astatine hazard to support the CTS successful the abbreviated term. And I'm truthful atrocious and it breaks my heart."

Need to reappraisal legislation, get ineligible advice: Kitchener mayor

Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic asked to defer the question until they had much guidance astir what it would mean if they sent a missive to the province.

Vrbanovic says the existent authorities needs to beryllium reviewed. He would besides similar a ineligible sentiment connected what the authorities says and what the rights are of the assembly to beryllium capable to talk astir the issue.

"What are our rights and tin that authorities withhold those rights from this council?" helium said.

The question is expected to beryllium brought backmost to the April 23 assembly meeting.

In a missive sent aft the meeting, the Waterloo Region Drug Action Team said the determination to defer the ballot connected whether to nonstop a missive was "another acheronian time for democracy."

"The state could supply the wellness and information alleviation we each question by, astatine a minimum, respecting the tribunal injunction.  It is unfair to spot section municipalities successful life-death decisions. One delegate called the provincial actions 'a defacto download of misery.' We agree," the missive said.