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ORFA ALERT

Increasing Risk of Inappropriate Use of Open Public Facilities

March 16, 2026

The ORFA continues to monitor how communities across Canada are being impacted by social issues in public facility operations. The winter of 2025/26 has exceeded cold weather records for being consistently below freezing with excessive snow depth which has forced marginalized persons to seek warmth and comfort in public buildings. At times, this has also included inappropriate behaviour that has resulted in discarded high risk drug paraphernalia and health episodes that require frequent medical first response in community spaces.
Refer to: Closing Hamilton Central Library 'off the table' for now as staff look at other ways to stop on-site drug use | CBC News

Facility operators are sometimes unknowingly being called into situations that require supervisors and employers to ensure they are properly prepared to safely deal with these challenges in their operations. Not one response plan will work in every operation but there are a variety of core items that should be used to guide staff.

Facility management should consider reviewing the following items:

  1. Evaluate all publicly accessible spaces in buildings for areas that may be of interest to people seeking shelter and try and secure access, where possible. Where secured access is not possible, regular inspections of potential risk use areas are recommended.
  2. Review the buildings code of conduct for appropriate use. This may consider the inclusion of a time limitation for those who are not participating in a recreational activity as a participant or guardian as well as include a zero-tolerance policy for immediate eviction for any illegal activity. Eviction from a public facility requires strict policy that is clear on acceptable use and delegated authority to issue the eviction. Use of public address systems to continually advise of expected facility use and code of conduct should be considered.
  3. Facility management should understand that local police and EMS support is often overwhelmed with public safety matters that may be of higher priority. Meeting with local service departments to understand their priorities should be considered. If resources are available, local by-law enforcement and/or certified security may be additional or alternative support for deterrence of activities in public facilities and spaces.
  4. Engaging with local social services departments or other community organizations including, but not limited to, addiction or mental health associations may assist in educational and supportive resources and approaches to the operational challenges being faced. Some members have shared that the development of crisis response or outreach teams including emergency services and community agencies have been successful in providing additional assistance during incidents. Members should be prepared that incident responses may involve additional costs to the operation.
  5. Facility management must confirm that all staff have received required violence and harassment in the workplace training as well as working alone training as set out in the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA). Facility staff should understand the potential risks in approaching individuals suspected of performing unpermitted activities and be provided with policy or procedure for additional support if required.
  6. Facility management must confirm all staff are current and up to date with First Aid training. A review of requirements for AED and naloxone response training should be included.
  7. Facility management must confirm that staff are properly trained and protected to collect, store and dispose of items such as, but not limited to needles, syringes, lancets as well as human waste hazards. Performing risk assessments and developing a sharp’s handling and/or bodily waste procedures should be invested in and included in onboarding and ongoing staff training programs.
  8. Facility management would be diligent in creating incident reporting procedures and incident tracking reports that can be provided to senior administrative staff for additional support and resources.

The ORFA invites members to share their experiences and successful policies or procedures in managing these types of issues to info@orfa.com so that together we might find adequate solutions that retain our facilities original mission of providing safe public service spaces.

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