OTTAWA — Ontario Premier Doug Ford is thanking the federal government for rejecting Toronto's long-stalled pitch to decriminalize the possession of illegal drugs. The premier expressed that gratitude after the federal addictions minister cited "deep concerns" about the proposal and said the city's public-health agency declined to make crucial changes. Earlier this month, Saks told reporters that Toronto Public Health's application was "dormant," then announced its denial days later, on a Friday evening before a long weekend.
That came after she faced weeks of growing political pressure to abandon support for the policy. The minister now says the proposal did not include age restrictions or limits on the amount of drugs a person could have in their possession — and that the agency said in early May it was not open to changing that. As of Friday afternoon, a spokesperson for Toronto Public Health declined to answer questions about the minister's description of her objections or the timeline of events.
Dane Griffiths said the agency was informed of Ottawa's decision to reject its application on May 17, the same day it was announced publicly. In a statement, he said decriminalization is but one "evidence-informed policy tool to help remove barriers to care." "I had deep concerns with the proposal," Saks told The Canadian Press in an interview Thursday.
The city first submitted its decriminalization request in January 2022 and updated it in 2023, which is when it requested it .
