North Bay police have launched an enforcement initiative focused on combating public drug use, drug trafficking and related crimes downtown. Enforced by the street crime unit, police are charging people for drug offences, with the goal of improving community safety. Amber Livingstone, executive director of Downtown North Bay & Waterfront, said open drug use downtown affects shoppers, businesses and tourists. “There are expectations when you’re in a shared public space,” Livingstone said. In the last two years, police have increased foot and bike patrols in areas experiencing higher levels of social disorder. Last June, it opened a downtown storefront to improve police visibility, a decision that has helped, she added. “Just that visible presence really makes a difference for some people,” Livingstone said. “It can be really arduous for business owners who are expecting to come in and open their business, when all of a sudden, they have to stop and ask someone if they can move their stuff out and then clean up that mess.” North Bay police chief Daryl Longworth said public drug use is one of the most significant public safety challenges in Ontario. “We can no longer walk by and watch and witness people violating the law and using illicit drugs in our downtown,” Longworth said on a Zoom call from his hometown of Woodstock, Ont. Police launched ‘Operation Safe Space’ in the spring, targeting people involved in criminal activity that contributes to public drug use, looking to disrupt the supply of illegal drugs. Last year, the street crime unit completed 26 drug trafficking investigations, laying nearly 240 charges and seizing close to $900,000 in illicit drugs and 22 guns. Longworth said officers were told to seize drugs from people charged with open drug use. “At the same time, they were also tasked with trying to get them some kind of help and do some kind of intervention to get these people help,” he said. In December 2020, in response to a Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police report on drug decriminalization, the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police released its position on a drug strategy framework that could support the decriminalization of simple drug possession. The idea would be to replace criminal charges for personal drug possession with a health care-focused diversion model, recognizing addiction as a public health issue rather than a criminal matter. Main target is drug trafficking The association said enforcement and judicial efforts have to continue to target drug traffickers and the illegal production and importation of drugs to choke off the supply of harmful substances. Longworth praised the provincial government for introducing the Restricting Public Consumption of Illegal Substances Act in 2025, which doesn’t criminalize the behaviour, but gives police “more tools to work with to solve the problem.” It’s a complex issue, he added, calling for a national drug strategy to give officers more tools to attack the problem head-on. He’s also advocating for more harm reduction, prevention and substance abuse treatment centres across the province. “It’s one that requires a collaborative approach from health, from social services, from housing, but also that law enforcement piece,” Longworth said. “I’m still convinced that there is still a pathway that people may not choose to use drugs because it is illegal and they could be arrested.” Under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, a person may be charged with drug trafficking for selling, giving, administering, transporting or offering to provide a controlled substance to another person.
