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TORONTO – Ontario is extending the licences of the province’s overdose prevention sites to the end of March, after they had been set to expire this week.

Health Minister Christine Elliott announced in October that the government would spend just over $31 million a year to fund a maximum of 21 sites.

Existing sites could apply to continue to operate under a new model planned by the government, and their licences had been set to expire on Jan. 31.

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A spokeswoman for Elliott says she has signed an extension to allow existing sites to continue operating until March 31 while the ministry reviews applications.

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It’s expected that approved sites will transition in the spring to the new model that includes a focus on treatment and rehabilitation.

Data from Public Health Ontario shows that 1,261 people died from an opioid overdose in Ontario in 2017, an increase from 2016, when 867 people died.