The human suffering we see in our streets — the toll of untreated mental illness, the grip of addiction, and the realities of homelessness — are not abstract policy issues. They are personal. As mayor, I carry these stories with me every day.
I’ve heard the fear and frustration of residents, the exhaustion of frontline workers, and the deep concerns from local businesses. The Greater Sudbury Police Services Board, which I sit on as a director, also just declared the toxic drug crisis in Greater Sudbury an epidemic.
These voices influence every conversation I have — whether with community partners, council, or senior levels of government — and they shape every decision that I make at city hall.
Our role as a municipality is to support, fund and co-ordinate a local system of care that ensures no one falls through the cracks — and we are doing more than ever before. Over the last year, the city has invested a total of $50 million, with $30 million of that coming directly from the municipal levy, into homelessness and housing programs — the largest commitment in our community’s history.
In addition to that and in partnership with the federal and provincial governments, we’ve also supported transformational housing developments, such as the affordable seniors’ housing on Sparks Street, the creation of a local Homelessness and Addition Recovery Treatment (HART) Hub, which includes the 40-bed transitional housing program on Lorraine Street, the Sudbury Peace Tower affordable housing project, as well as extending shelter capacity, winter response services and expanded outreach services.
This model — rooted in compassion, safety, and collaboration — is helping people transition off the streets and into care and stability. We also continue to support low-barrier hubs that offer food, shelter, harm reduction and health care in one place — because we know recovery doesn’t happen in isolation.
The city is not doing this alone. As we heard during the special meeting of city council on April 15, we are fortunate to have agencies across our community — including Health Sciences North, Greater Sudbury Police Services, Public Health Sudbury & Districts, the Ontario Health Team, the Children’s Aid Society, N’Swakamok Indigenous Friendship Centre, and many others — responding to increasingly complex and urgent needs related to addiction, homelessness, and mental health.
Our city’s own client navigators, along with organizations like the Homelessness Network, the GoGive Project, Sudbury Outreach Services, the Elizabeth Fry Society, and Indigenous-led initiatives like the Shkagamik-Kwe BEAR (Belonging, Equity, Access, Respect) Team, and others show up every single day with dedication and heart.
These frontline teams are not only caring for local residents — they are supporting a growing number of individuals arriving in Greater Sudbury from outside our community without a place to stay or any supports in place. While we remain committed to providing care without judgment, this added demand is placing further pressure on our already strained system. We cannot ignore this reality. It must inform how resources are allocated — and how urgently we need senior levels of government to scale up their response.
The efforts underway represent real progress. But the truth is, it’s still not enough. Greater Sudbury’s opioid-related death rate remains twice the provincial average and accidental overdose is the leading cause of death among individuals 49 years and younger.
This crisis is stark and unacceptable and calls for bold, sustained investment — not just in emergency interventions, but in upstream mental health and addiction supports, and to put all cards on the table. At the special meeting of city council, HSN shared that there has been a 135-per-cent increase in emergency department visits from individuals that are unhoused and that 10 individuals accounted for 441 visits between 2023 and 2024.
This is unsustainable for the system, but also the individuals providing and receiving the services.
We need to act fast — people are still dying. Families are still grieving. And while no single city can solve this crisis alone, we refuse to stand still while lives are lost. To those who have lost someone: we see you. We grieve with you. And we are working every day to build the kind of community where fewer families suffer that same pain.
The opioid epidemic is a national tragedy — but the solutions are local. They are rooted in partnership, perseverance, and a shared hope for a better future. This is the work before us. And we are committed to it.
Paul Lefebvre is the mayor of Greater Sudbury.