'We want to keep people alive': Outreach workers call for tools to combat toxic new street drugs

Walking through the Glengarry non-profit housing complex in Windsor, Ont., harm reduction outreach co-ordinator Lacie Krzemien is exhausted. 

The recent news that Windsor's only safe consumption site, Safepoint, will pause operations at the end of December has left her despondent. 

"I'm upset, because it's taking away another resource. It means more of my clients are at a higher risk of death,'' said Krzemien, who distributes safe supplies for people using drugs with Pozitive Pathways Community Services.

She says the announcement comes at a time when the drug supply has become increasingly toxic. The arrival of drugs such as "tranq," fentanyl mixed with xylazine, an animal tranquillizer that's resistant to naloxone, is making the overdose crisis even more complicated. 

Tranq has also become infamous for causing users to develop seeping wounds. 

Earlier this year, Health Canada released a report that said tranq was spreading rapidly across Canada. In 2022, 75 per cent of the drug samples tested that contained xylazine were from Ontario. According to Ontario's coroner, xylazine has been detected in 184 drug toxicity deaths since 2020. 

At least two of those were in Windsor.

"I'm sure that it's a lot worse than what we're seeing, you know, in the statistics right now," said Krzemien. 

She used Safepoint as a resource for clients with tranq wounds and testing the drug supply. It's one of the few places in Windsor that offers fentanyl drug testing. But that won't be the case come January.

CBC News spoke with Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens before Safepoint announced it would be pausing operations. The Mayor, who said he spends the majority of time working on the city's mental health and addiction problem, was opposed to the site. 

"We want to find, and have the money spent, in a way that's actually going to make a material difference. And that is with mental health and addiction support, and helping people get the treatment that they need to become productive members of society again."

CBC News asked the Ontario Ministry of Health about the current review and how it impacts drug testing and safety. In an email, they replied that the review will determine the next steps and that, "CTS [Consumption and Treatment Services] sites are expected to build trust in the communities where they are located through consultation and ongoing engagement."

Krzemien says the decision to pause Safepoint's operations erodes that trust.

"We want to keep people alive," said Krzemien. "We want to keep them breathing."