On Nov. 24, 2024, Rev. Jeffrey Dale, the minister at College Street United in Toronto, received a lifetime ban from the Queen’s Park public gallery after he and a group of protesters from the Harm Reduction Advocacy Collective publicly admonished Ontario Premier Doug Ford over his decision to close 10 safe consumption sites in the province, five of which are in Toronto.
The Harm Reduction Advocacy Collective is a group of harm reduction workers, people who use drugs and allies who support harm reduction over abstinence for dealing with substance use.
Dale spoke with Sherwood Hines.
On being kicked out of the Ontario legislature: We were one of the early groups to go when the new legislation for closing safe consumption sites was first being debated. It was pretty obvious the Ford government didn’t know anything about harm reduction, nor cared about the safe consumption sites. They just wanted them gone.
When we called them out from the gallery, we expected to be asked to leave. But they gave me and [several others] trespassing tickets, which come with lifetime bans. It’s pretty ridiculous. Being banned for trying to help people.
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On how the incident impacted his work: I came to the United Church when I was young because I wanted to actively engage with God and social issues in a ministry that went beyond Sunday mornings. And the United Church was the best place where I could be me. Fully. All people are God’s people, and so we can love everyone fully. No matter their situation. We know harm reduction works, and for me, harm reduction is spiritual. Every day you ask yourself, “What are we grateful for?” Each day is a new beginning with God. It is the teachings of the Bible repeated daily.
I had to ask myself a hard question: “Do I want to be liked, or do I want to speak the Gospel?” We have to shake our institutions, our congregations, our churches. Call everyone to account for what is happening.
It’s hard to live a Christian life because we don’t treat ourselves well, and thus, we don’t treat each other well.
On the congregation’s response: When I first came to College Street in May 2024, a couple of people politely complained and asked if I would “just talk about something nice.” But others see that my street ministry is about engaging with the community fully. Our doors are open to everyone. This is how the prophets engaged with people. They circumvented the powers that be by going directly to the people. I think this links us most closely to God’s purpose.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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Sherwood Hines is a writer in Bancroft, Ont
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