The future of SafePoint is still up in the air as the government continues its review of safe consumption sites in the province.
The province paused all new applications and launched the review after a woman was killed by a stray bullet near a consumption site in Toronto and paused all new applications.
That review was launched in October but there's no word on when it will be complete.
"We're in the process. We're just waiting now for the review to come back from the individual that's been charged with it. We're all anxiously awaiting, I don't have a specific day but I'm obviously anxious to hear what the outcome is going to be," said Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Michael Tibollo.
The Windsor Essex County Health Unit is weeks away from discussing its budget for 2024. Board members will have to decide to either continue operations without provincial funding or shut down the facility.
Windsor-West MPP Lisa Gretzky said it should not be the health unit's responsibility to cover operational costs.
"It's unacceptable. There are incidents that we see happen on the TTC in Toronto on a daily basis, unfortunate things that happen but they don't shut down the entire transit system while they're investigating," said Gretzky. "I think it's completely unacceptable that when we're talking about actually saving people's lives it is completely unacceptable that the province has put our consumption and treatment site, and others around the province, on hold."
Tibollo said the hold is a matter of public safety.
We have concerns when it comes to public safety and we have to ensure that everything we do is in the best interest of the community at large," said Tibollo.
Safe Point has been open in downtown Windsor since the end of April. Since that time, there have been no calls to Windsor police about the activities in or around the facility.
The WECHU board is discussing its budget on November 20, 2023.
