OTTAWA — New numbers show close to 14,000 Canadians, including more than 300 in Saskatchewan, have been killed by opioids over the last four years and more than 17,000 people, including almost 900 in Saskatchewan, have been hospitalized for opioid-related poisoning.
The data is in a new report released this week from a national advisory committee struck to study the epidemic of opioid overdoses in Canada.
Canada’s chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, and Saskatchewan’s chief medical health officer, Dr. Saqib Shahab, issued a joint statement saying many of the deaths were caused by Canada’s illegal drug supply being contaminated with toxic substances. They say fentanyl and other potent synthetic opioids continue to be a major cause of hospitalizations and deaths.
In their statement, Tam and Shahab say the opioid overdose crisis is “a complex problem” that will take time to turn around.
“To have a significant and lasting impact, we need to continue working together on whole-of-society changes,” they say.
“This includes addressing the stigma that surrounds substance use, implementing further harm-reduction measures and reducing barriers to treatment. It also means continuing to work together to better understand and address the drivers of this crisis, such as mental illness, and social and economic factors that put Canadians at increased risk.”
The data shows thousands of Canadians continue to have non-fatal overdoses each year and hundreds of thousands more are affected by problematic substance use. Western Canada continues to be the most affected by the opioid crisis, but Ontario has also seen a rise in opioid-related deaths, the data shows.
According to the report, in Saskatchewan there were 83 opioid-related deaths in 2016 (76 of which were deemed accidental), 85 deaths in 2017 (74 of which were classified as accidental), a leap to 116 deaths in 2018 (103 were deemed accidental) and 31 deaths between January and June this year (all of which were classified as accidental).
In the years covered in the report, opioid-related hospitalizations peaked in 2016 with 280 cases (172 of which were classified as accidental), dropping to 255 in 2017 (150 were deemed accidental) and 247 in 2018 (149 of which were deemed accidental). In the first six months of 2019, there were 61 hospitalizations (24 of which were classified as accidental).
Data from Saskatchewan include deaths with completed investigations only, according to the report. The manner of death was assigned by the coroner or medical examiner and data in the report includes accidental, suicide or undetermined deaths.
“The opioid overdose crisis continues to devastate many Canadians, their families and their communities from coast to coast to coast,” Shahab and Tam said in the joint statement, adding that the data underscores “the need for our continued commitment across all jurisdictions to a comprehensive and collaborative approach.
“We need to constantly remind ourselves that behind every overdose death, emergency response and hospitalization, are individuals, families, and friends who are experiencing highly stressful and traumatic events.”
According to the study, 94 per cent of opioid deaths in the first six months of this year were accidental, the Public Health Agency of Canada said. The report was based on data submitted to the agency on or before Nov. 13.
“Many of these deaths are a result of the contamination of the illegal drug supply with toxic substances. Fentanyl and other illegal and highly toxic synthetic opioids continue to be a major driver of this crisis. The data also point to a broader public health challenge,” Tam and Shahab said.
“Thousands of Canadians continue to experience non-fatal overdoses each year and hundreds of thousands more are affected by problematic substance use.”
Photo by Jacquelyn Martin, The Associated Press
JACQUELYN MARTIN / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
