Sudbury, Algoma have one of the highest rates of opioid deaths in Canada
Sudbury, Algoma have one of the highest rates of opioid deaths in Canada
The rate of opioid deaths in Ontario decreased by more than 10 per cent in the first two quarters of this year compared to the year before, new data shows, with the chief coroner saying the decline brings some hope.
Preliminary data from the coroner's office shows 1,278 people have died from opioid toxicity in the first six months of this year. There were 1,487 deaths in the same time period last year.
"This is a significant tragedy that is ongoing and continuing, which requires a much deeper, broader response in my mind," Chief Coroner Dr. Dirk Huyer said in an interview.
But the problem is no longer a crisis, he said.
"The way I've always looked at the word crisis is it's a terrible situation, a bad circumstance, that is short-lived," Huyer said. "And for me, this is sustained and this is an ongoing, significant public health problem."
Opioids have still killed Ontarians at a rate 55 per cent higher than in 2019, before the pandemic hit.
Nonetheless, the comparative 13 per cent death-rate decline in the first six months of this year has given Huyer some hope.
"Is it hopeful that that's a trend downwards? That's certainly a hope, but it's still a 55 per cent higher mortality rate than the 2019 range," he said.
Opioid deaths increased dramatically once the pandemic began, killing 2,462 people in 2020 and 2,911 people last year.
With lockdowns and most public health measures against COVID-19 ending in this spring, people have returned to their social networks and services for those who use drugs have become more available -- factors that may be playing a role in the decrease, Huyer said.
"That's the hope of what's going on," he said. "But it's still incredibly tragic and difficult."
Northern Ontario remains the hardest hit by opioid deaths.
The Thunder Bay District Health Unit has the highest opioid mortality rate of more than 80 people dying per 100,000 from July 2021 to June 2022. Sudbury and District Health and Algoma Public Health are next with a mortality rate around 50 per 100,000 people.
The provincial average is 19.7 deaths per 100,000 people.
"Thunder Bay, Sudbury, and Algoma are the highest rates over the year, as well as was seen last year," Huyer said.
Those aged 30 to 59 remain the most affected, accounting for 71 per cent of opioid deaths between April and June this year.
But the coroner saw some shifts in the age demographics.
Deaths among those aged 20 to 49 have decreased by 13 per cent, but they've shot up among those aged 60 and older by 44 per cent.
Men continue to account for 75 per cent of opioid toxicity deaths.
Fentanyl remains the major contributor with the substance found in 85 per cent of deaths. Other drugs like cocaine, methamphetamine and non-pharmaceutical benzodiazepines are also found in a significant number of deaths.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 24, 2022.
A judge has ordered the Liberal government to help bring home four Canadian men being held in Syrian camps. Federal Court Justice Henry Brown has directed Ottawa to request repatriation of the men as soon as reasonably possible and provide them with passports or emergency travel documents.
An elderly woman is dead and a suspect is in custody after what police are describing as an 'unprovoked attack' on a downtown Toronto sidewalk Friday morning.
Canada has overhauled its alcohol consumption guidance, and the difference between the new and old recommendations is stark. Here is a summary of what we know about the new guidelines.
Police believe that two heavily armed men were planning for a shootout with police after they entered a bank in Saanich, B.C., in June and demanded cash.
Police in India say a third man has been charged in the deaths of four members of a family who froze in southern Manitoba while trying to cross into the United States.
Education Minister Chris Hipkins is set to become New Zealand's next prime minister after he was the only candidate to enter the contest Saturday to replace Jacinda Ardern.
An elderly woman is dead and a suspect is in custody after what police are describing as an 'unprovoked attack' on a downtown Toronto sidewalk Friday morning.
Ryan Konkin was recently engaged and had plans to start a food truck business with his fiancée. But the St. Catharines resident’s plans for the future were cut short last week following an explosion at the hazardous waste facility where he worked.
Waterloo regional police say evidence “consistent with illicit drug production” has been seized from a Kitchener, Ont. home that exploded Wednesday night.
A man wanted in connection to an alleged string of break and enters near Western University is now facing additional charges, as London police once again renew their call to the public for help in locating the missing suspect.
Serious injuries are reported after a pedestrian was struck by a vehicle in west London on Friday. Around 6:20 a.m., police, fire and paramedics responded to the area of Grand View Avenue and Commissioners Road West.
A fishing company and two of its boat captains are facing hefty fines and lengthy licence suspensions after conservation officers deemed them to be overfishing lake trout in Lake Huron.
As the average price of a new vehicle continues to climb with a possible recession looming, many people are choosing to get their vehicles fixed instead of replacing them. But a backlogged global supply chain is causing a delay for some auto parts to come in and in some cases, parts are taking more than a year-and-a-half to arrive.
Windsor Fire and Rescue Chief Prevention Officer Mike Coste is discouraged. A fire in the 400-block of Elm Street Tuesday morning was the tipping point because he found out there was no working smoke or carbon monoxide detector in the house.
The Roman Catholic archdiocese of Quebec City has confirmed that it received a second complaint involving allegations of sexual misconduct by Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the former archbishop in the Quebec capital.
A Montreal-area mother says she was shocked to learn her clever six-year-old daughter was able to buy more than $2,100 worth of purchases on her Amazon account right under her nose.
A former lawyer and ex-hockey coach who filmed minors with a hidden camera in the bathroom of his Quebec cottage was sentenced Thursday to one year behind bars.
Parts of Nova Scotia saw their first significant snowfall of the season, making for greasy roads and forcing most schools in the province to close for the day.
Police in India say a third man has been charged in the deaths of four members of a family who froze in southern Manitoba while trying to cross into the United States.
On the heels of new development plans being shared for the first time for C.F. Polo Park, another development near a mall is set to be discussed next week.
One man is dead and three others were taken to hospital after a semi crashed into two semis parked on the shoulder of the Trans-Canada Highway east of Calgary early Friday morning.
A former chief of emergency medical services in Calgary says having medical dispatchers back in the same room as police and fire call-takers could help to improve ambulance response times.
The union representing RCMP emergency communications specialists says a lack of staff and retention issues are crunching 911 dispatchers to their breaking point.
The TRV chair has 360 degrees of movement around both the vertical and horizontal axes, as well as an adjustable counterweight to balance the chair and patient.
Police say despite previous speculation, a lengthy investigation confirms there was no third person involved in a terrifying shootout outside a Saanich bank last summer.
While a rabbit may be one of the luckiest animals in the Chinese zodiac — a local rabbit rescue is urging people not to adopt them as pets just because of Lunar New Year.
Long-promised data on COVID-19 concentrations in wastewater outside the Lower Mainland was published on the B.C. Centre for Disease Control website for the first time Friday.
