Keep Your Drugs Out of Our Neighbourhood

Toronto is facing a crisis that hits at the heart of our communities and, most alarmingly, our schools. Last month, parents at St. Mary Catholic School shared a video with me of a woman openly injecting heroin and smoking crack on the steps of St. Mary’s Church, directly across the street from the school. This shocking incident is a stark reminder of the consequences of the NDP’s radical drug policies, which are endangering our children and tearing apart our neighborhoods.

Toronto parents are fed up with the NDP’s radical plans endangering kids. They’re sick of being ignored by Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik while they’re trained on what to do if their child’s foot is pierced by a needle. The scene at St. Mary’s was chaotic as parents demanded the woman leave the premises. Their frustration and anger were palpable, and rightfully so.

The woman on the church steps, visibly high and struggling to comprehend the situation, represents a much broader issue. While there is empathy for her and others battling addiction, the safety of our children must come first.

The proximity of harm reduction sites to schools like St. Mary Catholic School is a significant concern. There is a harm reduction site just a block away, contributing to the influx of drug users in the neighborhood. The plan to open a new homeless shelter in the King and Bathurst area, without adequate support for addiction treatment, only exacerbates the problem.

The current policies, which emphasize harm reduction without adequate treatment, are failing our communities. The St. Mary’s incident is not an isolated event but a recurring nightmare for many parents. Every day, residents clear out needles from schoolyards to ensure the safety of their children. However, the sight of addicts using drugs right in front of schools is where the madness must stop.

Harm reduction without treatment perpetuates the cycle of addiction. It does not offer a way out but rather normalizes and enables the continued use of harmful substances. The policies being pushed by radical activists are harm production, not harm reduction. They are sacrificing the safety of one vulnerable group — our children — for another.

What happened on those steps has unfortunately become far too common for Toronto. The frustrations from parents at the inaction — or worse, being vilified for daring to speak up — are evident. You don’t make a community safer by sacrificing the safety of one vulnerable group — children — for another.

This issue is only getting worse, and it’s high time for a change in approach. The Toronto Catholic District School Board has expressed deep concern for the safety and well-being of students and staff, working closely with Toronto Police to conduct routine neighborhood patrols. However, this is not enough.

Toronto needs a comprehensive strategy that includes robust drug rehabilitation programs. We need to support those struggling with addiction while ensuring the safety and security of our communities. The current approach is not working; it’s fostering addiction and putting it on full display, endangering our children and diminishing the quality of life in our neighborhoods.

The safety and future of our children should not be compromised. The city must listen to its residents and prioritize effective solutions over ideological experiments. We need policies that protect our communities and offer real help to those in need.