Prince Albert, Sask., wastewater has high traces of meth, cocaine, StatsCan data suggests
CBC
Prince Albert, Sask., may have a stimulant drug problem, as federal data suggests the city has higher concentrations of certain substances in its wastewater than some of Canada's largest metropolises.
A Statistics Canada study released earlier this month says Prince Albert had the highest average daily loads of cocaine, meth and amphetamines in its wastewater, compared to other large cities.
"The measures that we got in Prince Albert are notably higher than other places," said Janine Clarke, acting chief of StatsCan's analysis and dissemination section for direct health measures surveys.
StatsCan's Canadian Wastewater Survey involves researchers collecting samples from wastewater treatment plants in municipalities that volunteer to participate, according to the agency's website.
The samples are examined to either estimate levels of various drugs, or detect levels of the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, the website says.
In the latest drug wastewater levels, researchers scanned for 10 substances, including cannabis, opioids and stimulants such as meth.
Seven municipalities participated: Edmonton, Halifax, Metro Vancouver, Montreal, Prince Albert, Saskatoon and Toronto.
Prince Albert had significantly higher concentrations of meth and amphetamines than the other communities over the past two years, data suggests. The city's cocaine levels also led the group, but Halifax's levels were closer for that drug.
The presence of meth and cocaine in Prince Albert increased from 2022 to 2023. The presence of amphetamines decreased in 2023, but the levels are still vastly greater than in the other cities, data suggests.
Researchers can't correlate the findings with drug consumption, per se, Clarke noted. But the data offers a glimpse at the presence of these drugs in the community.
CBC News requested an interview with Prince Albert Mayor Greg Dionne, but the city did respond before publication.
Opposition NDP justice critic Nicole Sarauer raised the issue during question period at the legislature Tuesday, pressing the provincial government about accessible drug treatment.
"We are taking this matter very seriously," said Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Tim McLeod in response, adding that the government has developed a new action plan for mental health and additions.
The plan aims to add 500 new addiction treatment spaces throughout Saskatchewan over five years, and create "a central intake system" that is supposed to make care easier to access, according to a news release issued by the provincial government last month.
A suspended Moncton structural engineer faces more lawsuits alleging design flaws in buildings that require repair.
Sajjade Tugano has come a long way since he first set foot in Chibougamau, six hours north of Quebec City, in the depths of winter in November 2021.
A national mentor-based hockey organization that helps marginalized youth through the sport is paying tribute to one of its members and youngest coaches.
After months of asking the City of Saskatoon to do more to solve its homelessness crisis, advocate David Fineday took to the stand at city council Tuesday.
A community organization wants to breathe new life into a historic building in Regina.
Some Prince County residents are walking away with more answers after attending Tuesday night's public information session in Albany, P.E.I., on the Wejipek Wind Project.
After just a few months of using vape detectors in a couple of bathrooms, a B.C. high school principal says it's reduced vape use in those areas to basically zero.
Burlington MP Karina Gould gets boost from local young people after entering Liberal leadership race
A day after entering the Liberal leadership race, Burlington, Ont., MP and government House leader Karina Gould was cheered at a campaign launch party by local residents — including young people expressing hope the 37-year-old politician will represent their voices.
Anold Mulaisho was born intersex and wonders where they fit in, in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order for the United States to recognize only two sexes, male and female.
WARNING: This story contains references to suicide.
Subway service is down on Line 1 between Sheppard West and Lawrence West due to a broken power rail, the TTC said Wednesday morning.
A long-term care home in Toronto's Yorkville neighbourhood has cleared one more hurdle to add desperately needed beds to its property, a move that's been praised by housing advocates but opposed by locals concerned about the impact on the neighbourhood.
A Charlottetown resident is calling on the P.E.I. government to do more to protect homeowners after reading about a recent oil spill very similar to one on his Montague property 20 years ago, which he says ruined him financially.
WARNING: This story includes details of abuse.
Two years after Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly declared she was taking the unprecedented step of moving to confiscate millions of dollars from a sanctioned Russian oligarch with assets in Canada, the government has not actually begun the court process to forfeit the money, let alone to hand it over to Ukrainian reconstruction — and it may never happen.
Alberta business and oilpatch leaders are returning home from Washington this week after the U.S. presidential inauguration festivities — and gritting their teeth after a roller-coaster of emotions.
Youth workers in Toronto's Jane and Finch area are flipping the script on negative stereotypes about their communities with a new fundraising campaign that offers anti-bias training in exchange for donations to bolster their programming.
In a sudden move that came late Tuesday evening, city officials rolled out cots and temporarily opened a warm building in east London as frigid temperatures continued.