Canada's drug crisis is affecting a largely unchecked population of users — newcomers

Read this story in Hindi. इस कहानी को हिंदी में पढ़ें.Read this story in Arabic. اقرأ القصة باللغة العربية

Within 17 days of arriving in Canada, Ali was introduced to methamphetamine.

"I was lonely and was thinking of suicide," said the international student from Turkey. 

Ali said he has been using crystal meth on and off since he moved to Saskatoon in 2022. Now, the 23-year-old is working toward recovery but said mental health services in his language and culturally-specific health care are lacking.

Raza, a Syrian refugee who also lives in Saskatoon, has had a similar experience. The 32-year-old works odd jobs to send money to his family overseas.

"It's difficult to find work here. I don't speak much English and don't know many people," he said.

Wahda – the Arabic word for social isolation – is a "constant curse."

"Crystal is a good way to forget those problems," he said.

CBC News is safeguarding Ali and Raza's full names because of the stigma around drug use and mental illness in their respective communities.

There were 484 confirmed and suspected drug toxicity deaths in Saskatchewan in 2023. In speaking with community organizations, CBC News found that Canada's drug crisis is affecting a largely unchecked population of users – newcomers – and we don't even know how severe the issue is. Now, experts are calling not only for better data collection, but also more attention to the realities that lead newcomers to use drugs, and culturally-specific care that could help them escape it.

Truly Alive Youth and Family Foundation, which serves Indigenous, immigrant and other diverse communities in Saskatoon, has seen "quite a surge" of substance use among newcomers, especially international students, according to executive director Anthony Olusola.

He said international students sometimes arrive in Canada already dealing with trauma, only to face the anxiety of building a life here while trying to support their family.

"It's not just their life here," said Olusola, "it's also worrying for their folks in their country of origin. All of this leads them to a place where they are looking for some haven, some sense of how to deal with it. For coping mechanisms, unfortunately, substance [use] is what they gravitate toward."

He said inflation and rising international tuition fees rates are adding to their struggles.