Ontario to offer naloxone to police, firefighters as opioid-related deaths rise
TORONTO — Ontario will offer naloxone to police and firefighters across the province and can now approve safe injection sites on its own, it announced Thursday as new figures showed a dramatic spike in opioid-related deaths.
There were 336 opioid-related deaths in the province from May to July — an increase of 68 per cent from the same time period last year, Chief Coroner Dirk Huyer said.
“It’s incredibly significant and an incredibly large number,” he said. “This is a phenomenally big issue that’s occurring in Ontario and across Canada.”
As well, the province said Thursday that there were 2,449 emergency department visits from July to September related to opioid overdoses — an increase of 115 per cent increase from a year earlier.