Fentanyl tops list of drugs seized as London agencies outline health impacts
CBC
The number of people overdosing and dying as a result of opioid use in the London area is decreasing, according to new numbers released by local service agencies Wednesday.
The human toll in the city was higher than the rest of the province, based on population rates, only four years ago. But organizations such as the health unit and the police, suggest the work they're doing on the streets is changing the statistics.
Last year, 66 people died from what the Middlesex London Health Unit calls opioid poisoning from substances such as fentanyl. The number of fatalities hit a peak in 2021 when 135 people died.
The numbers, posted to the MLHU's website, was the subject of a news conference on Wednesday that brought together the medical officer of health, London's police chief and other service providers.
London police highlighted results from a program launched in April that saw more foot patrol officers on the streets in key areas where open air drug use is common, including in the downtown and Old East Village.
Police said officers made contact with approximately 800 people, with one in five accepting an offer for a referral to services.
Over the summer, police partnered with London Health Science Centre nurses to offer medical assistance to people on the streets. During the first nine weeks, the team responded to 194 calls, with the majority of people in need of wound care.
Health officials noted that since partners had formed between various sectors the number of people overdosing and winding up in the emergency department had steadily been declining.
In 2024, 491 people were admitted to hospital, compared to 1100 in 2021.
"Numerous factors may contribute to these trends, including access to programs and services, education on overdose prevention, initiatives to reduce stigma, and changes to the toxic drug supply," the health unit said in a statement.
Police said since April, the most common drug seized is fentanyl accounting for almost 90 per cent of seizures.
A young man has been charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm after a fire at a frat party near Western University that injured five sorority sisters, including two seriously, late Tuesday night.
The massive deal to combine one of Hollywood's oldest studios with a streaming giant hasn't even been approved yet, but it's already riling multiple related industries and politicians concerned about monopolies and media concentration.
Mi'kmaq chiefs and a former Nova Scotia justice minister are criticizing the provincial government for directing police to crack down on illegal cannabis, saying the order undermines relations with Indigenous Peoples.
For years, there has been “glaring inequity” in the way the province has allocated the millions of dollars in its county roads budget, according to Department of Transportation Minister Chuck Chiasson.
Six months after passing a law aimed at making it easier for new grocery stores to open, Manitoba's premier says lower grocery bills could be on the horizon.
Timothy Smith was acting in self-defence when he punched Landon Waddell, and shouldn't be found guilty of manslaughter, his lawyer says.
Thoroughbred horse racing at Vancouver’s Hastings Racecourse is ending after more than a century, with the operator announcing Friday it will no longer run a racing season at the historic facility.
A memorial to remember lives lost to gender-based violence was held in Charlottetown Friday, ahead of the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, which is marked annually on Dec. 6.
A Calgary dentist who defrauded five insurance companies over a decade should spend up to three years in prison, the prosecution argued Friday.
B.C. Conservation Officer Service says it has called off its search for a bear responsible for an attack on a group of school children in Bella Coola, B.C. on Nov. 20.
The union president called it a rally for solidarity as Iqaluit Housing Authority employees gathered Friday while negotiations are ongoing between the Nunavut Employees Union and the employer.
The federal government is stoking Quebec separatism by walking back its climate commitments — including in its recent deal with Alberta — Liberal MP and former cabinet minister Steven Guilbeault says.
Four more Alberta MLAs are facing recall petitions organized by their constituents, including the first NDP representative to be caught in the province's ongoing wave of recall efforts.