London's new provincial treatment facility won't open April 1 as planned

The opening of a provincial Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hub in London, initially slated for next week, has been delayed as its operators say they're still ironing out the final details with the Ontario government.

Health Minister Sylvia Jones announced in London on Jan. 27, that the goal was to open 18 new HART Hubs across the province by Apr. 1, including a London location operated by the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Thames Valley.

However, a CMHA Thames Valley spokesperson said the organization doesn't have a clear timeline for when the province will release funding for the hub and when the facility will open.

"The Ontario Government did announce the intended open dates were Apr. 1, but with the [provincial] election having been called, there is no movement on that until they're sitting again, which is later in April," Jillian Driessen wrote in an email to CBC News.

"We are hoping to get a more clear timeline on when funding will be released. For now, we are working on the preparations we can and will be opening as soon as possible, but we are waiting on direction from the Ministry." 

Premier Doug Ford called a snap election two days after the announcement on Jan. 29.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Health said the government is working with the 18 HART Hubs partners on their operational budgets, adding that funding that's already been earmarked for projects is not impacted by when the legislature resumes on Apr. 14.

"Our government is continuing to work with the remaining HART Hubs to bring new, safe, and comprehensive mental health, social, and addiction services, as well as supportive housing units, to 18 communities across the province, as soon as possible," said Hannah Jensen.

Jensen said the nine transitioning HART Hubs, which were former supervised drug injection sites, will open as planned on Apr. 1. The province ordered those sites to close by Mar. 31 as they were within 200 metres of schools and daycares.

London's supervised injection sites did not fall within that perimeter, and CMHA Thames Valley was awarded approximately $6 million per year to open a new hub after applying for it in September.

Last month, the organization's vice president, Dean Astolfi said the hub will operate out of the Salvation Army's Centre of Hope in downtown London, and 33 new beds will be available right away, with the goal of having 60 beds total.

"We're getting the 33 off the ground right away and quickly turning over the other beds through the recovery centre that exists at Salvation Army," Astolfi said in February. An additional 60 supportive housing units will also be created in the first year, officials said.

Existing facilities at the Centre of Hope, which already operates an emergency shelter, warm meals, withdrawal management and recovery support, will be used to help people who need help with their mental health and substance use disorders.

The province is spending $529 million for the 27 HART Hubs across Ontario.