What to know
- Premier Doug Ford says giving transit special constables police-like powers would improve safety on subways.
- Harm reduction advocate Norrad Bouzide argues the proposal could lead to increased profiling of unhoused people and those with disabilities.
- Bouzide says criminalizing public drug use won’t reduce consumption and could push people into more isolated spaces, increasing overdose risks and other health harms.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s government is pushing to give transit special constables the power to arrest drug users, but a harm reduction expert says the move will further target vulnerable populations.
The province is considering changes to The Restricting Public Consumption of Illegal Substances Act (RPCISA), a law that came into effect last summer and aims to prohibit the use of illegal drugs in public spaces.
Since the act became regulation, police officers were given the power to take action when they believe an individual is using drugs in public, including:
- Tell people to stop consuming drugs in public spaces, or remove them from the space if they do so;
- Tell people to identify themselves if they fail to comply with police direction;
- Arrest and charge those who fail to comply with police direction;
- Seize, remove, or destroy illegal drugs found near “an individual reasonably believed to be guilty of an offence under the Act;”
- Seize and submit substances for analysis.
Under the new proposal, Ontario’s Ministry of the Solicitor General (SOLGEN) is considering allowing special constables employed by public transit services, such as the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), to have the same powers as police officers to enforce the RPCISA, including charging and arresting suspects.
Speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Ford defended the proposal, and suggested it could contribute to safety on transit.
“We want safe subways, we want safe transit everywhere in the city. And if someone is using drugs or shooting up drugs on a subway, they need to be arrested and removed from the subway,” he said.
Advocates raise concerns
Despite the premier’s comments, harm reduction worker and grassroots activist Norrad Bouzide told Now Toronto the proposal could be harmful to vulnerable and marginalized populations, including unhoused individuals.
Since RPCISA became legislation last year, Bouzide said they have seen a rise in unwarranted searches and profiling of certain individuals, especially those who are unhoused.
“Not all people who are unhoused are drug users, and not all people who are drug users are homeless. But there’s a lot of stigma towards people who are unhoused, they’re definitely treated as though they are substance users,” they explained.
“Now, somebody who looks unhoused is assumed to be a drug user and can be searched and hit with trespassing. And that doesn’t necessarily always just affect people who are unhoused as well. People with physical or mental disabilities are also profiled because they’re perceived as being drug users.”
Read More
The advocate says that if the new proposal goes forward, they expect instances of profiling to become even more common.
“It’s a bit of a regression. Once again, people in power are trying to keep people they deem to be undesirables out of the public,” they said.
“Sometimes the TTC is literally the only safe place for somebody to go, or else they risk the chance of freezing to death…and now we’re saying, because you look like you could be a substance user, you’re not allowed to take up space in the TTC.”
Proposal could lead to health concerns: advocate
In 2024, the province pushed the Community Care and Recovery Act, which led to a series of closures of safe injection sites in Toronto by last March. As pointed out by Bouzide, last year, the Toronto Drop-In Network revealed there was a 288 per cent increase in overdoses at drop-in centres since the move.
According to the expert, similar moves that aim to criminalize drugs, including directing special constables to arrest users, don’t actually lessen usage, and could lead to more health concerns.
“People at the end of the day are going to be using substances, whether it’s by choice or by addiction. People will be using substances. So, when we close every possible door to them, where do we expect them to go?” they questioned.
“If people are using [drugs] on the TTC, well, that’s because they don’t have a safe public place to use. And if they’re using on their own and down an alleyway or out of sight, and they do have an overdose, they’re going to die, and nobody’s going to find them for days.”
Moving, Bouzide said they expect the provincial government to consult with experts about policies that could impact vulnerable groups.
“They roll out policy based on what they want, not the voices of the people that they’re meant to serve. So, with this legislation and all legislation, it’s time for them to start listening to what the people actually want and pay attention to what the numbers actually show,” they added.
