Sask. might see another jump in overdose deaths this year: report
CBC
Saskatchewan is on track for another year-over-year increase in drug toxicity deaths, a new report suggests.
As of Sept. 30 this year, there have been 336 deaths linked to overdoses in the province — 116 confirmed drug toxicity deaths and 220 suspected fatal overdoses — according to a report from the Saskatchewan Coroners Service.
With three months left in the year, those 336 deaths are already more than what the province saw two years ago.
"I'm not surprised [and] I'm deeply saddened," said Meagan Jasper, who is recovering from addiction and living in Moose Jaw.
Since she became clean five years ago, Jasper has been helping others overcome their addictions.
"We have a lot of barriers in Saskatchewan, for any service that you're trying to access, when you don't have a phone or you don't have access to [the] internet."
The Coroners Service reported 409 confirmed or suspected drug toxicity deaths for all of 2021 — more than double what the province saw two years earlier.
Jasper said increased isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic deepened the drug crisis in Saskatchewan.
People struggling with addictions are still feeling the aftermath of the pandemic, with some waiting a long time before they can access support services, she said.
"Isolation is always going to be our worst enemy," said Jasper. "It seems like if we had 20 people using [drugs] before the pandemic, we now have 50."
The rise of fentanyl has added another layer of challenges. It's an opioid that is 50 to 100 times more toxic than others, such as heroin, oxycodone or morphine, according to the province.
At least 265 people died accidentally from fentanyl, and 205 from acetyl-fentanyl, in 2021, according to the Coroners Service.
This year, there have already been 64 confirmed accidental fentanyl deaths in the province, 50 per cent more than two years ago.
That's why Jasper wants Saskatchewan to support safe consumption sites.
Run 3 Space | Play Space Running Game
Traffic Jam 3D | Online Racing Game
Duck Hunt | Play Old Classic Game
Edgar Spence keeps a folded bundle of receipts for meal expenses his family has had to cover out-of-pocket since they were forced out of their home community by wildfires in northern Manitoba.
A man accused in a series of north-central Edmonton arsons is guilty of starting fires that damaged or destroyed several homes in 2020 and 2021, a judge ruled Thursday.
Residents of Ward 8 in Hamilton are likely to be back at the polls once again after city councillors voted Wednesday to hold a byelection there to replace former councillor John-Paul Danko, who was recently elected as a member of parliament.
Work on Windsor's large Banwell Road interchange and corridor construction projects is currently on hold after Butler's gartersnakes were discovered.
Etched on a poster board the size of her body, Mary McPherson held up a pencil-drawn portrait of Ontario Premier Doug Ford.
One of the largest old elm trees in Toronto — possibly in all of southern Ontario — is on its last legs.
It's graduation week for many University of Guelph students, but it's a particularly special day for one 68-year-old whose walk across the convocation stage was 49 years in the making.
Scientists on Prince Edward Island have created a new warning system to help Maritime farmers avoid a costly disease called fusarium head blight, which can decrease grain yields while contaminating the crop with toxins.
An N.W.T. deputy minister says the territorial government is hoping to use federal housing money to clear derelict homes from communities.
WARNING: This article contains graphic details, references sexual assault and may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone impacted by it.
Monique Gordon's second-floor apartment in Rexdale is sweltering hot all year-round — even in the winter.
As Fanshawe works toward reducing its staff by more than a third, the college announced Thursday that 40 jobs have been eliminated through downsizing, early retirements and unfilled vacant positions.