Premier Doug Ford says proximity to H.B. Beal Secondary School was one of the reasons behind the province's decision to withhold funding for a safe consumption site on York Street.
In an interview marking the end of the PC government’s first year in power, the premier spoke about London’s safe consumption strategy.
"It's not about just giving them free needles and letting them do their drugs."
The city learned earlier this week that the province will not provide funding for a permanent safe consumption site at 446 York.
The location was endorsed by the Middlesex-London Health Unit, and the city was in the process of re-zoning to allow for a safe injection site.
The decision to withhold funding spawned accusations the government had been influenced by lobbyists.
The owners of 446 York, who would have been renting to the consumption site operators, claim a single individual pressured the government to pull out.
But Ford says having the site near the high school wasn't appropriate.
