'There will be more lives needlessly lost': high number of opioid-related deaths in northern Ontario

Over the last five years 696 people in Sudbury, Ont. have died from opioid overdoses due to the toxic drug supply.

Researchers from the University of Toronto found that opioid-related deaths doubled across Canada between 2019 and 2021. They analyzed accidental opioid-related deaths from Jan. 1, 2019 and Dec. 31, 2021 across nine provinces and territories, including Ontario.

According to data from the Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario and local health units, communities in northern Ontario continue to have opioid-related mortality rates around twice as high as the provincial average.

The Porcupine Health Unit, which includes Timmins, had 31 suspected opioid-related deaths in 2022, and 51 the next year.

In 2023, there were 46 confirmed or probable opioid toxicity deaths in Algoma, which was lower than the count of deaths in the previous three years, which ranged from 52 to 59 opioid-related deaths.

In the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit area there were 14 reported opioid-related deaths in 2023, 15 suspected deaths in 2022 and 35 in 2021.

And in the Sudbury district there were 112 suspected opioid-related deaths in 2022, compared to 96 in 2023.

Supervised consumption site saved lives, says public health

Sam Mortimer, a public health nurse with Public Health Sudbury and Districts, credits the city's supervised consumption site for saving lives last year.

The Spot, as it was called, closed on April 1, 2024, because Rseau Access Network, the organization that managed the site, could not secure provincial funding to keep it running.

"Now that the supervised consumption site has closed, we anticipate that there will be more lives needlessly lost," said Mortimer.

"And one life lost is one too many."

In one hour I saw two overdoses being responded to by emergency services.- Heidi Eisenhauer, Rseau Access Network

The Spot provided a safe space for people to use drugs under the supervision of medical professionals.

Mortimer said staff there helped reverse at least 30 overdoses that could have resulted in a person's death.

She added the supervised consumption site also decreased the number of calls to first responders, freeing up police and emergency services to respond to other issues.

Heidi Eisenhauer, Rseau Access Network's executive director, said they've seen a surge in daily responses to overdoses since the Spot closed.

"And if today was any indication, in one hour I saw two overdoses being responded to by emergency services and my team going out," she said. "It's continuous."

Eisenhauer said her staff are out on the street with "go-bags" to help people who use drugs.

"That's not health care, that's emergency response. And definitely takes its toll on the team," she said.

Mortality rate increased in the Porcupine district

Timmins also has a supervised consumption site, called the Safe Health Site Timmins. It received temporary funding from the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Cochrane-Timiskaming to stay open until June 30.

The Porcupine Health Unit area, which includes Timmins but also covers a large portion of northeastern Ontario as far north as Moosonee, was the only region in the northeast to see an increase in opioid-related deaths in 2023.

"I don't have an answer to that," said Jamie Deschene, the Porcupine Health unit's harm reduction program co-ordinator.

"I think it's just important for people to be aware that there is a tainted supply that is circulating and to make sure that people who are using substances are not using alone and carrying naloxone."

From July 4, 2022 to June 30, 2023 the Safe Health Site Timmins reported it responded to 130 overdoses.