Advocates for harm reduction are taking matters into their own hands on the streets of Toronto for the second time in as many weeks.
The Toronto Overdose Prevention Society and the Toronto Harm Reduction Alliance worked together on Monday to set up a temporary, unsanctioned 'overdose prevention site' at a park somewhere in Parkdale.
A similar operation was set up in the neighbourhood last week and dismantled the same day.
It comes after Premier Doug Ford's provincial government put on hold plans to open 3 so-called safe injection sites across Ontario, including one in Parkdale.
On Monday, the activists set up a large tent with a stockpile of overdose-reversing, potentially life-saving medication.
Nurses and other healthcare workers were on hand to monitor any drug use and, if needed, administer treatment.
Leaders of the advocate groups insist they were forced to defy the plans of the provincial government in order to combat a spike in overdose deaths in Parkdale.
They note that a safety alert surrounding overdose-related deaths was recently released by the neighbourhood's Toronto Police division.
As they did last week, police did not move in to shut down the operation.
In a statement to NEWSTALK 1010, Toronto Polices spokesman Mark Pugash says the approach of officers, "will be consistent with when the Moss Park location opened (in May)."
"We are in the middle of a crisis. Our officers will use the discretion that the law gives. We will monitor the impact the site has on the area and pay attention to residents' complaints," he says.
Last week, Health Minister Christine Elliott said the overdose prevention site program is on hold until the province reviews it and determines whether or not these services "have merit."
The groups are calling on the Health Minister to allow all 3 suspended sites to open.