Winnipeg opioid-related calls nearly 13 times higher than a decade ago: WFPS
Global News
Ryan Woiden, the president of MGEU Local 911 Paramedics of Winnipeg, says the calls are taking a toll on first responders.
New substance use numbers from the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service (WFPS) shows just how much opioid-related calls have risen over the past decade.
In 2016, WFPS received 231 calls related to opioids. Those numbers stayed relatively consistent until 2020, when opioid-related calls ballooned to 1,227, according to the data.
That number spiked again in 2023, nearly tripling at 3,400 calls.
Unfinalized data for 2025 shows a total of 9,045 substance-related calls, including for opioids, crystal meth, alcohol, cocaine, and marijuana. Of that, opioids accounted for nearly a third, with 2,927 calls last year.
Ryan Woiden, the president of MGEU Local 911 Paramedics of Winnipeg, says the calls are taking a toll on first responders.
“These calls, they stay with you when you go home, you’re thinking about them all the time,” Woiden told Global News.
“When you have somebody in cardiac arrest and it’s your third overdose of the day, and you don’t bring them back, you start to go home wondering are we doing anything positive? It really can affect people.”
The data shows a similar, but less drastic scenario for crystal meth, with 426 calls in 2016 and 1,187 in 2025.
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