More Manitobans died of overdose deaths in 2021 than ever before: chief medical examiner's data

For the second year in a row, Manitoba has seen a record number of deaths from illicit substances.

Last year, 407 Manitobans died from overdose due to illicit substances like fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, etizolam or a combination substances, according to data from the chief medical examiner. 

That's a jump from 372 deaths in 2020 — which was a record number then.

"I've spoken with mothers from last year that have lost children. So for me, when I hear this, I automatically go to what will happen from those losses," said Arlene Last-Kolb, co-founder of Overdose Awareness Manitoba.

Her son Jessie died from a fentanyl overdose in 2014.  

Last-Kolb says the provincial Progressive Conservative government's approach to the issue focuses on addictions treatment, which ignores the root cause of many overdose deaths.

"We can't ignore the elephant in the room — that people are dying from the toxic supply that they're getting from the street," she said.

"We can't just continue to applaud our government for giving us more hours at the RAAM [rapid access to addictions medicine] clinic or … talking about treatment beds, when it's the toxic supply that's killing everybody."

The province says it is dealing with the issue of drug-related deaths by expanding services at its RAAM clinics, which first opened in 2018 and provide support for people looking for medically assisted treatment to deal with addiction.

Two RAAM clinics recently increased capacity to allow more walk-in patients, a spokesperson for Mental Health and Community Wellness Minister Sarah Guillemard says.

The province has also invested in 100 new supportive recovery housing units in Winnipeg, Brandon, and Thompson, according to the spokesperson. 

But that's not good enough, says Last-Kolb, because the clinics don't provide support for those who continue to use illicit substances. 

"Our government sounds like it's just a reward system that, you know, 'If you want to quit, well, we'll help you. But if you use substances, then we're not going to help you,'" she said.

"The stigma around those that use substances is killing us."