Consider again the Sept. 18, 2026 CBC article on Windsor police, copied below. Windsor officers who previously drove past open drug use, or only asked people to “move along,” are now stopping to arrest and lay simple drug-possession charges.
Two takeaways from the article:
The Windsor nurse-police team “works to improve police response times, reduce burden on emergency departments,” and responds to people struggling with mental health and substance-use challenges.
On Sept. 24, 2026, Lakeridge Health and Durham Region partners announced a new Durham Region Police-Hospital Committee to improve how people in mental-health and addictions-related crises are transferred into emergency care. That work could also help reduce police wait times and the burden on emergency departments, couldn't it?
With more public pressure, will Durham Regional Police Service follow Windsor’s lead and not drive by, but stop to arrest and lay simple drug-possession charges where the law allows?
CBC article:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/open-drug-use-charges-windsor-9.7349323
Lakeridge / Durham media release:
https://www.lh.ca/news-and-stories/posts/lakeridge-health-and-durham-region-partners-establish-committee-to-strengthen-mental-health-crisis-care/
Two takeaways from the article:
- Public pressure brought the change.
- Windsor’s nurse-police team is being celebrated as part of the response.
The Windsor nurse-police team “works to improve police response times, reduce burden on emergency departments,” and responds to people struggling with mental health and substance-use challenges.
On Sept. 24, 2026, Lakeridge Health and Durham Region partners announced a new Durham Region Police-Hospital Committee to improve how people in mental-health and addictions-related crises are transferred into emergency care. That work could also help reduce police wait times and the burden on emergency departments, couldn't it?
With more public pressure, will Durham Regional Police Service follow Windsor’s lead and not drive by, but stop to arrest and lay simple drug-possession charges where the law allows?
CBC article:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/open-drug-use-charges-windsor-9.7349323
Lakeridge / Durham media release:
https://www.lh.ca/news-and-stories/posts/lakeridge-health-and-durham-region-partners-establish-committee-to-strengthen-mental-health-crisis-care/
