Naloxone kits mandatory in some Ontario workplaces, aimed at saving lives in Thunder Bay and beyond
CBC
As the number of overdose-related deaths continues to rise in Ontario, the provincial government has made it mandatory for some workplaces to have naloxone kits on hand to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
Ontario reported 1,853 opioid-related deaths between January and September 2022, according to the latest available data from Statistics Canada.
Thunder Bay had the highest opioid toxicity mortality rate in the province in 2022, at 77.2 per 100,000 population, significantly higher than the provincial rate of 17.6 per 100,000, according to preliminary data from the Office of the Chief Coroner released last month.
The northwestern Ontario city also led the province in opioid deaths per capita in 2021.
Under the new legislation, workplaces must have a naloxone kit on site if these three scenarios apply:
"My goal is by the end of this decade to have a naloxone kit in every single workplace across the province," Monte McNaughton, Ontario's labour minister told CBC News.
Essentially, the legislation only covers employees at their place of work; the OHSA requirements do not apply if the risk of an opioid overdose is created by a customer, patient or other member of the public in or near a workplace.
A workplace may be considered at high risk of having an employee overdose if:
The Ministry of Labour is easing into the legislation with an education-first approach, "and as time goes on, enforcement will be beefed up," McNaughton said.
"We want people to come forward. We are doing this to save lives, to reduce the stigma, to increase awareness for opioid addiction out there," he said.
Workplaces that meet the criteria for mandatory naloxone but do not provide it may face fines.
However, McNaughton said, "I believe that employers out there overwhelmingly do a good job. They want to do a good job to help their employees and the general public."
Naloxone is a medication that can temporarily reverse the effects of an overdose, potentially saving a person's life. People are protected under the Good Samaritan Act, which means if they administer naloxone to someone who's overdosed, they won't be arrested.
If a person hasn't overdosed but someone gives them naloxone, it will not harm them.