OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says supervised consumption sites are just “drug dens” and that he will close them if his party forms the next government.

Poilievre visited a park near such a site in Montreal this morning and said he would close all locations near schools, playgrounds and “anywhere else that they endanger the public.”

The first supervised injection site opened in Vancouver more than 20 years ago.

The sites are intended to try and prevent overdoses by allowing people to bring drugs to use under the observation of trained staff.

A 2011 the Supreme Court ruling said that closing the Vancouver operation would deprive users of their Charter rights.

Poilievre says that decision does not mean supervised drug sites can operate anywhere without any restrictions.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 12, 2024.

The Canadian Press