Political fireworks about drug decriminalization leave Toronto request in limbo

A request by Canada's biggest city to move forward on drug decriminalization is in limbo, facing significant provincial opposition and renewed political debate prompted by a partial rollback of B.C.

Toronto put forward a request to the federal government in 2022, and provided additional information in 2023, Dr. Eileen de Villa, the city's medical officer of health, said in an interview on Rosemary Barton Live that aired Sunday.

"We're taking action to make sure police have the tools they need to ensure safe and comfortable communities for everyone as we expand treatment options so people can stay alive and get better," B.C.

Vancouver is not the only municipality to have weighed the benefits of decriminalization: Montreal's public health director expressed support for it in 2022, the same year Toronto made its first request.

CBC chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton speaks with Toronto's medical officer of health, Dr. Eileen de Villa, about the city's application to decriminalize drugs for personal use, which the Ontario government has refused to support.

"We knew that for any sort of pilot project to go forward ... the wraparound supports, the public safety implications required, that we couldn't just deal with the Vancouver application, we needed to work with the province on that," he said.