If vending machines could talk, the ones on Toronto’s Huntley Street might have some stories to tell.
Stories of despair and desperation, but also tales of discretion and self-dependence.
Located next to Casey House, a specialty hospital in Toronto that cares for people living with or at risk of HIV, the machines don’t distribute soft drinks, but instead provide supplies for people who use hard drugs, such as sterile needles, pipes and naloxone kits, as well as items for sexual health, such as condoms. They have seen high uptake, giving out 14,082 free kits since they were installed a year ago, but have also attracted controversy, with some local residents saying they’re contributing to social disorder, open drug use and violent behaviour in the area, near Jarvis and Bloor.
