Sure, Toronto's late and loveable mayor, Rob Ford, was caught smoking crack almost a decade ago - but at the time, that was actually seen as negative controversy.
If you don't remember him I'll link to a very famous clip here: (click here for a foul-mouthed insane video of the former mayor).
Little did he know, he was just ahead of his time!
Oh, how things have changed for this once great city.
Nowadays, the City of Toronto encourages the use of hard and dangerous drugs by handing out free crack and crystal meth pipe kits.
The worst part of this insane initiative is that these kits are adorned with the city's logo - and these branded stickers alone cost taxpayers over $33,000!
When mayoral candidate Anthony Furey first released images of these kits to the public after being given them by a "whistleblower" within the city's non-profit shelter system, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) got involved.
Jay Goldberg, CTF Ontario Director, called this a "crystal-clear example of reckless city hall spending that needs to stop."
Why in the world does the city need to spend thousands of dollars on stickers for crack pipes and meth kits?
Seriously! They could MAKE money with a crack pipe vending machine!
Furey stated that kits for crack and meth were not only limited to safe consumption sites but were also being provided through the city's shelter network. He said, "Shelters across the city are now being instructed to distribute these drug kits and essentially function as injection sites."
The Works is a "harm-reduction program" that works with Toronto Public Health to help distribute these kits. They were originally founded in 1989 as a needle exchange during the HIV epidemic, but they've branched out to bigger and better things: giving folks easy access to drug gear.
In 2014, The Works bragged about handing out over 1.3 million needles that year.
According to records obtained by the CTF, taxpayers have been footing the bill for these kits, and the City of Toronto branded stickers for them have cost $33,561.27 from 2020 to July 13 of this year.
The data below shows the number of kits given out at our needle exchange and includes crack smoking kits, crystal meth kits, foil kits and injection kits. This does not include those given out through outreach, van or other programs.
The Works' website acknowledges its distribution of "safer drug use supplies" to community organizations across the city.
However, it explains that obtaining the status of a "Harm Reduction Partner Agency" entails a mandatory, legally binding service agreement, sufficient insurance, and a continuous, sincere dedication to the harm reduction model.
You know, if they're handing out more and more needles every year and the city is now paying for drug kits ... maybe the program isn't working!
P.S. Now check out our latest video 👇
