In My Opinion – Something Has Got to Change: Cobourg’s 310 Division Street Problem Is Affecting Everyone

Pete Fisher
7 minutes ago
• Categories: Editorial, Local

Something has got to change.

What’s happening on the streets of Cobourg is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. Regardless of the good intentions behind the services being provided to individuals struggling with addiction, the reality is that what is happening around 310 Division Street simply isn’t working. People in parts of Cobourg may not see the issue, but those that do often see it on a daily basis.

And it isn’t just affecting the people who need help. It’s affecting an entire neighbourhood, innocent bystanders and the emergency services that are repeatedly being called to respond.

Saturday, November 7, 2026, was a troubling example.

There were three separate reports involving individuals who were either unconscious or believed to have overdosed, either inside 310 Division Street or within approximately two blocks of the facility.

There is a common thread running through many of these incidents. They are happening in the immediate vicinity of 310 Division Street, also known as Transition House.

This isn’t an attack on the staff working inside the facility. They are likely doing the best they can under what are undoubtedly difficult circumstances.

But good intentions alone are not enough. At some point, the results have to matter.

Earlier this week, a public meeting was held at Trinity Church, just a few doors down from the facility. Executive Director Christian Harvey spoke to a standing-room-only audience about how Transition House operates, including the rules residents are expected to follow.

During the meeting, Harvey explained that backpacks are searched when residents enter the building.

After the meeting, Today’s Northumberland asked Harvey a straightforward question: What happens if staff discover illegal drugs? Are police notified?

Harvey said they do not contact police.

Today’s Northumberland also spoke with a resident of 310 Division Street who said staff are doing the best they can. However, the resident acknowledged that with the deadly potency of some drugs and how small they can be, detecting them is nearly impossible, despite staff doing their best.

Those comments deserve consideration.

But while Harvey attempted to explain the facility’s operations and the measures in place, residents living in the surrounding neighbourhood are experiencing something very different.

Saturday provided a disturbing illustration.

Shortly after 1 p.m., emergency services, including police, firefighters and paramedics, were dispatched to the area of 310 Division Street following a report of a male lying motionless near the facility.

When emergency services arrived, they were unable to locate the individual.

At approximately 5:40 p.m., another emergency call came in.

This time, it was for a person lying motionless in the area of Chapel and College Streets.

The individual was on the grass along the north side of Chapel Street, just west of Jex Lane.

A passing motorist noticed the person while driving through the area. After stopping at the intersection, he backed up his vehicle, which had children sitting in the back seat, to confirm that someone was lying motionless on the grass.

He immediately called 9-1-1.

The emergency operator spoke with the individual while police, fire and paramedics were dispatched.

The unconscious person was given a sternum rub and immediately awakened.

When emergency services arrived, the individual calmly walked away.

At 5:55 p.m., just 15 minutes after the second call, another report came in. This time, it was for an overdose inside 310 Division Street.

It is unknown whether that individual was transported to hospital.

Three incidents. Three emergency responses.

Each one involved multiple emergency personnel.

There were at least four police officers responding to each incident, at least four firefighters and at least two paramedics.

Based on those numbers, that represents approximately 30 emergency responders dispatched across the three incidents.

That doesn’t include the 9-1-1 operators or the police, fire and ambulance dispatchers coordinating those responses.

Think about that for a moment.

What about the innocent people who witness these incidents?

Imagine driving along a residential street with your children in the back seat and seeing someone lying motionless on the grass. You don’t know if the person is sleeping, unconscious, overdosing or dead.

You stop. You call 9-1-1. You wait for help.

That is not something most people will forget.

Your heart rate rises. Your children may be frightened. You are suddenly confronted with a situation you never expected to witness.

And this isn’t necessarily an isolated experience for people living in the neighbourhood.

Can the Town of Cobourg receive funding for types of incidents at or around 310 Division Street?

Paramedics are operated by Northumberland County, so the cost for them is divided by each township or municipality. But what about Cobourg Police and Cobourg Fire Department?

Could police and fire charge for services when dealing with issues at 310 Division Street?

When fire services are called to Highway 401, the Province reimburses them for each truck that responds.

Maybe it’s worth looking into where the cost could be split across Northumberland County. Should Cobourg residents fully pay for a County run facility?

But does society need to do more for people struggling with addiction? Absolutely, there is a legitimate discussion to be had about that.

But how do you help someone who doesn’t want help?

How do you help someone that just gets up and walks away when there are several emergency vehicles at the scene? When a call comes in for a person is, or could be essentially dead – you respond immediately.

And what happens when the system intended to provide assistance is unable to prevent the same problems from repeatedly spilling into the surrounding community?

There are also serious questions about the demands being placed on emergency services.

What happens if firefighters are delayed responding to your house fire because they are attending another call involving someone believed to be unconscious or overdosing?

What happens if a family member suffers a medical emergency, but paramedics are tied up responding to another incident and the closest available ambulance has to come from another municipality?

What happens if someone is being assaulted, robbed or threatened and police officers are committed to another call?

These are not unreasonable questions. They are possibilities that deserve to be considered.

Emergency services cannot simply be expected to keep absorbing an ever-increasing demand without consequences.

Every call matters. Every person matters. And every member of the public deserves to know that help will be available when they need it.

Life is precious.

The older you get, the more you seem to understand just how quickly it can change and how important it is to protect it.

That includes the lives of people battling addiction. It also includes the lives of children, families, seniors and everyone else who calls Cobourg home.

Something has got to give.

There needs to be a serious discussion about what is happening, what is working, what isn’t working and what changes are necessary.

Laws may need to change. Perhaps the focus needs to be placed not simply on the individuals using drugs, but on those manufacturing, supplying and profiting from the misery of addiction.

Police are doing the best they can. It’s the courts and the Judges that need to be held accountable.

There also needs to be accountability and transparency about how facilities operate, what happens when illegal substances are discovered and what measures are available to protect the surrounding community.

This cannot simply become a debate between those who support the facility and those who question its impact.

It is much bigger than that.

The people who need help deserve better. The staff trying to provide that help deserve the resources and support to do their jobs. And the people living in the surrounding neighbourhood deserve to feel safe in their own community.

Nobody should have to choose between compassion for people struggling with addiction and the right to feel safe walking down their own street.

Right now, something isn’t working at, and in the area of 310 Division Street.

And pretending otherwise isn’t going to make it better.

Cobourg needs answers. More importantly, it needs solutions.