2023-05-10 20:10:36
These statistics released on May 4 show that the city of Thunder Bay is the most affected in Ontario, with a rate of 77.2 overdoses per 100,000 inhabitants.
It is followed by Sault-Sainte-Marie, Greater Sudbury, Timmins and North Bay.
The average for these five cities is 60.1 per 100,000 population, far above the provincial overdose average of 17.6 per 100,000 population.
These are data that do not surprise Dallas Scythes, resident of Greater Sudbury. He recently lost his brother-in-law to an overdose.
The crosses erected downtown in memory of the victims of opioid overdoses do not even represent the true extent of the problem
he observes.
Mr. Kosy notes that recovery is difficult for people struggling with opioid addiction.
You know, when you’ve been on it for a long time, the withdrawal symptoms can get really serious. I don’t think many people want to go through this kind of physical pain for two weeks or more.
he says.
He believes that supportive housing services might be used to help people affected by the crisis.
Dallas Kosy lost his brother-in-law to an opioid overdose.
Photo : CBC / Aya Dufour
Kayla Pelland of the Network Access Networkwhich runs the supervised consumption center in Sudbury, also says it finds the recent data heartbreaking
.
But the issue of drug toxicity is very complex, she explains, and one agency cannot deal with it alone.
This is a crisis that can only be resolved through policy changes
she notes, including efforts to decriminalize street drugs like fentanyl.
Kaela Pelland works at Réseau Access Network, which operates the supervised consumption center in Sudbury.
Photo : CBC / Aya Dufour
Greater Sudbury Mayor Paul Lefebvre also says he is deeply concerned
by the opioid crisis.
« It is our brothers and sisters, our children who are dying. And we have a role to play, certainly to plead and see what more we can do with the means we have. »
But the social and medical services available are insufficient, he adds, because Greater Sudbury is the largest city in northeastern Ontario, people from across the region struggling with mental health issues s go there to access care and services.
Paul Lefebvre, Mayor of Greater Sudbury, is delighted with the project proposed by the organizations involved.
Photo : CBC / Aya Dufour
The city of Timmins also faces a lack of sufficient treatment services, Mayor Michelle Boileau said, adding that the new supervised consumption center is still saving lives.
Each death is one too many. And until we get to the point where we don’t have any opioid-related deaths, we’re going to keep working hard.
With information from CBC News’ Aya Dufour and Jonathan Migneault
1683765895
#Opioid #crisis #Northern #Ontario #hard #hit
