One of the eight overdose victims at a Montreal shelter has died, police confirm

One of the eight people who overdosed earlier this week at a Montreal homeless shelter died on Tuesday evening, police confirmed. She was 42 years old.

One of the eight people who overdosed earlier this week at a Montreal homeless shelter died on Tuesday evening, police confirmed. She was 42 years old.

The overdoses occurred back-to-back Sunday in and around the Projets Autochtones du Québec (PAQ) shelter in downtown Montreal.

The first wave occurred on the street about half a block away, with six people overdosing at once, possibly on the same substance. Workers at the shelter, located inside the Hôtel des Arts, administered the opioid antidote naloxone before paramedics arrived.

Four of the six were taken to hospital, the 42-year-old woman one of them. She remained in critical condition overnight but had passed away by Tuesday evening.

Less than hour later, two men overdosed inside the shelter itself. Both survived.

Montreal's public health department (DRSP) is investigating the overdoses and the nature of the substance or substances that caused them.

According to DRSP data, 11 overdoses were reported to public health authorities in August, the highest single-month number since Oct. 2020.