Sask. on track for record-breaking drug overdose deaths in 2022
Saskatchewan drug overdose deaths are on the rise again this year.
The province is trending towards record-breaking numbers, reporting 74 confirmed fatal overdoses and 189 suspected drug deaths since Jan. 1 2022, as of Aug. 2, according to Saskatchewan Coroners Service.
“We’ve seen about 263 deaths so far in Saskatchewan this year, if this continues the trend we’re looking at is around 500 deaths from drug toxicity or drug overdoses,” Clive Weighill, Chief Coroner for Saskatchewan, said.
Saskatchewan has seen a steady increase in overdose totals since 2016, reporting a huge jump between 2019 and 2020. In 2019, 179 deaths were reported, with that mark rising to 322 in 2020.
Overdose deaths rose again in 2021, hitting 388.
“When you speak to the numbers, if we were to do just basic math on it, we have the potential to hit 450 overdoses this year,” Marie Agioritis, the Saskatchewan lead for Moms Stop The Harm, said.
Moms Stop the Harm is an organization that supports a harm reduction approach, and calls for evidence based prevention, treatment and policy change to address the overdose crisis.
Agioritis attributes the increase in overdose deaths over the past few years to the pandemic, but not simply because of added free time and an increase in mental health concerns.
“During the pandemic itself, there was a supply chain issue. Supply chain wasn’t just restricted to steel and grain. Drugs were the same thing," she said.
“So you found more people mixing—ordering if they could get it, locally, or mixing more toxic chemicals into drugs to be able to meet the demand.”
According to the Coroners report, fentanyl is the number one drug associated with the deaths in 2022. Regina (23) and Saskatoon (19) have recorded the most deaths among Saskatchewan cities.
“Oh by far and large it’s fentanyl. Fentanyl and its derivatives like charafentanyl, but fentanyl is the main ingredient that we see,” said Weighill.
“From what I understand it gives a very good high and we have people on the methadone program and it doesn’t give as good of a high as fentanyl so people go back to it. And sometimes people don’t know fentanyl is in the drugs.”
As of July 31, there were 65 accidental overdoses and nine suicides by overdose confirmed.
Agioritis, who lost her 19-year-old son, Kelly, to an overdose in 2015, said until policies and procedures around overdose and the stigma associated with it change, the deaths will continue to climb steadily.
She added that safe consumption and changes to criminal drug enforcement are part of the solution.
“The numbers are all there, and the experts all agree— it’s just trying to get the greater community to understand. And the only way the greater community is going to understand is if our community leaders take a stand,” Agioritis said.
Weighill said Saskatchewan is on par with British Columbia in terms of percentage and rates of overdose deaths.
While some people object to institutions that assist drug use, or provide places for those struggling to take drugs, both Agioritis and Weighill emphasize that an accidental overdose can happen to anyone.
“There’s many different facets to this,” Weighill said. “I can’t stress this enough, it’s not a simple problem.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
'A huge difference': These adults born in the '90s partnered with their parents to buy homes in Ontario
An Ontario woman said it would have been impossible to buy a house without her mother – an anecdote that animates the fact that over 17 per cent of Canadian homeowners born in the ‘90s own their property with their parents, according to a new report.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests about relationship with Prince Harry
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Boy Scouts of America is rebranding. Here's why they're now named Scouting America
After more than a century, Boy Scouts of America is rebranding as Scouting America, another major shakeup for an organization that once proudly resisted change.
How Drake and Kendrick Lamar's rap beef escalated within weeks
A long-simmering feud between hip-hop superstars Drake and Kendrick Lamar reached a boiling point in recent days as the pair traded increasingly personal insults on a succession of diss tracks. Here’s a quick overview of what’s behind the ongoing beef.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Ontario man devastated to learn $150,000 line of credit isn't insured after wife dies
An Ontario man found out that a line of credit he thought was insured actually isn't after his wife of 50 years died.
NEW For their protection, immigrants critical of China and India call for speedy passage of Canada's foreign interference legislation
Canadian immigrants threatened by hostile regimes are urging parliamentarians to quickly pass the 'Countering Foreign Interference Act' so they can feel safe living in their adopted home.
Spanish prosecutors recommend 2nd investigation into Shakira's taxes be thrown out
Spanish state prosecutors recommended Wednesday that an investigating judge shelve a probe into another alleged case of tax fraud by pop star Shakira.