Reducing harms from substance use

The new substance strategy builds on the 2019 Opioid Strategy, which focused on prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and enforcement to reduce opioid-related harms.

The Peel Substance Strategy advances substance use health by promoting health, equity, and inclusion at every stage of life. It does this through evidence-informed, community-driven, and stigma-free approaches.

At Peel Region, we meet substance use health with compassion. We support people at every stage of their journey through coordinated care and work within systems to foster dignity, connection and well-being.

The strategy is available will be implemented from 2026 to 2031. It will strengthen community partnerships, reduce harms from substance use, and improve health outcomes for residents.

Access the Peel Substance Strategy

About the strategy

The Peel Region Substance Strategy is our approach to reduce harms from all types of substance use.

Our strategy outlines how Peel Region will work together to reduce harms related to substance use for:

• People who use substances
• Their families
• The entire Peel community

The strategy covers alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, vaping products, opioids, and all illegal substances.

It supports Peel’s Community Safety and Well-being Plan and other Peel Region initiatives such as Anti-Human Trafficking, Housing and Homelessness and Poverty Reduction, and builds on years of local work in this area.

Led by Peel Public Health and Moyo Health & Community Services, the strategy brings together over 70 partners across 40 organizations. The strategy includes people with lived experience, community groups, service providers, and emergency services to create solutions together.

A community co-design approach was used to make sure that the strategy was shaped by the people it’s meant to serve.

Together, we defined:

• What the strategy includes.
• The guiding principles used to create the strategy.
• How we support health and reduce substance-related harms.
• Strategic goals for advancing substance use health.

The development process included shared decision-making, respect, accountability and a commitment to centering lived experience.

The parts of the strategy

The Peel’s Substance Strategy has 4 integrated parts:

Prevention

By focusing on the social and environmental factors that influence substance use health, we aim to reduce substance-related harms before they happen.

We aim to do this by:

• Promoting positive social connection as a protective factor to reduce substance-related harms and support well-being.
• Developing an intersectional, equity-focused approach to substance use that recognizes common risk factors for substance use and how they impact diverse populations.
• Reduce stigmas for people, community and within systems.

Harm reduction

We aim to meet people where they are by providing policies, services, and practices that reduce health, social, and legal harms.

We aim to do this by:

• Expanding prevention, outreach, and public awareness for people at every stage of life.
• Bolstering harm reduction and overdose prevention supports.
• Centering lived experience and peer leadership within services and systems.
• Embedding housing as a foundation for health, wellness, and recovery.

Treatment, recovery and wellness

Treatment includes services like withdrawal management, medication-assisted treatment, counselling, mental health care, and integrated primary care. Recovery and wellness include longer-term supports like housing, peer support, cultural/community connection, and life-skills development.

We aim to support this by:

• Integrating mental health and substance use health supports.
• Improving continuity, coordination, and integration across a continuum of care.
• Strengthen systems and partnerships to support better access for residents.

Substance use policies and regulations

We’ll help address stigma, criminalization, and inequities due to substance use by shaping how services are governed, and how people are supported.

We aim to do this by:

• Building system and workforce capacity that sustains high-quality care.
• Enhancing advocacy, policies, and regulatory approached for substance use health.

We will also:

• Share updates and progress with community members, partners, and interest holders.
• Reduce stigma through ongoing public education.
• Engage equity deserving communities through culturally grounded and language appropriate channels.
• Ensure people with lived and living experience are meaningfully involved throughout the process.

This community driven approach will help deepen understanding, build trust, and support consistent action across the region.

Data, evidence and community insights

We’re using data, research, and lived experiences to guide the strategy and its continuous improvement.

Health status indicators for the Peel population, including current health status, health behaviours, preventive health practices, health care utilization relevant to public health and demographic information. Refer to health status data.

Opioid overdose indicators for the Peel population including, trends in emergency department visits, paramedic calls, hospitalizations and deaths related to opioid use. Refer to opioid toxicity.

Numbers only tell part of the story. Community input helps us understand the full picture.

Performance measurement and evaluation

We’ll keep the strategy accountable by measuring and evaluating its performance. This includes:

• Developing measurable indicators with our implementation partners and measuring progress based on the strategy’s framework.
• Sharing results transparently with partners, interest holders, and communities.
• Using evaluation findings to strengthen equity, refine actions, and improve outcomes.

We’ll continue to monitor the strategy to make sure it remains evidence-based and responsive to the evolving needs of our community.

Everyone in Peel has a role in this strategy, whether you use substances, support someone who does, provide services, or live in the community.