Sudbury mayor backs call for drug decriminalization to help fight opioid crisis
As the opioid crisis continues to claim lives across Ontario. Ontario mayors are calling for upper levels of government to decriminalize some substances to help combat addiction.
The Ontario Drug Policy Research Network reported 2,426 opioid-related deaths in 2020, a 60 per cent increase over 2019, making 2020 the worst year on record since tracking began.
“(The) numbers of people that are losing their lives because of these addiction challenges have doubled from 2019 to 2020,” said Sudbury Mayor Brian Bigger.
Bigger is a part of Ontario’s Big City Mayors (OBCM), a group that represents nearly 70 per cent of the province's population. Recently, the group put out a call to both the federal and provincial governments to decriminalize controlled substances and continue with the creation and funding of mental health crisis response units.
“I’m in favour of a compassionate response and support for people that are struggling with addictions and mental health," Bigger said. "This is the motion that has been brought forward and obviously intended to start conversations with the province and federal government that potentially would change policy in the future.”
Sudbury already has mental health crisis response teams on the ground, as do many other cities in the province, but funding will dry up in about a year.
The OBCM wants the teams to be mandated province-wide with the necessary funding to ensure its success.
“It’s all about getting provincial funding that is reliable and predictable and sustained for these services that are so much required,” said Bigger.
He said the teams, combined with decriminalizing controlled substances, is just part of a much larger picture that will hopefully someday end the opioid crisis for good.
“We’ve approved funding for transitional housing with significant supports," Bigger said. "We’ve supported programs that will provide treatment. Everything is leading to providing … the basic adequate supports for people with addiction challenges and mental health issues and looking at how we can encourage the province to turn their focus on these challenges and make the critical investments.”
To learn more about the OBCM’s call for action, click here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What's a Barnacle? It's yellow, sticks and screams if you try to pry it off your car
Barnacles, bright yellow devices used to make sure parking scofflaws pay their tickets, could soon be making their way to cities across Canada.
Verdun Airbnb listing taken down amid complaints, fines and frustration from neighbours
An Airbnb in Montreal's Verdun borough was the source of much frustration from neighbours who say there were constant parties at the location. It has been taken down from the app, but housing advocates remain upset about short-term rentals.
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
They were from different countries and barely spoke each other's languages. More than 20 years later, they're still happily in love
He decided to spend Christmas somewhere that wouldn't involve snowstorm disasters. She was spending the holidays with family, travelling for the first time outside of her native country of Venezuela. 23 years later, they're still in love.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
A Nigerian chess champion plays the royal game for 60 hours - a new global chess record
A Nigerian chess champion and child education advocate played chess nonstop for 60 hours in New York City's Times Square to break the Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon.
Fire in Labrador town under control, officials tells residents to stay away
RCMP say the fire that prompted a state of emergency in a Labrador town is now under control.
12 students and teacher killed in Columbine school shooting remembered at 25th anniversary vigil
Thirteen victims of the Columbine High School shooting were remembered during a vigil Friday on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the shooting that was the worst the nation had seen at the time.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.