(File photo/ CKOM News staff)

By Brady Lang/CKOM News

Saskatchewan’s latest drug overdose death numbers surpass 300, nearly double record set in 2018

Dec 4, 2020 | 10:22 AM

Forget about breaking Saskatchewan’s record for overdose deaths set in 2018; we’re now nearing doubling it.

New numbers from Jan. 1 through Tuesday indicate that Saskatchewan is on pace to double its record of 171 overdose deaths from 2018.

Unofficially, the provincial total sits at 323 following Wednesday’s report from the Saskatchewan Coroners Service.

Of the 323, 122 are confirmed drug toxicity deaths. The remaining 201 are suspected.

Prairie Harm Reduction executive director Jason Mercredi had a message for the government.

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“Take real steps, now. The time for debate, the time for talk was a long time ago. We are getting way behind the 8-ball. We need actionable items, like next week. We should be expecting announcements from the government next week on this file,” he said Thursday.

“For us, it’s incredibly (concerning). We’re looking at doubling (the record). If the continued pace of lack of actionable items that are going to stop overdose deaths continue, we’re going to be superseding this in 2021 as well.

“This is not a small amount of people in Saskatchewan. This is 323 deaths, 323 families, 323 friends. This is getting out of hand. It’s already our worst year … We’re desperate for some leadership on this issue.”

Prairie Harm Reduction facilitates Saskatchewan’s lone safe consumption site. Mercredi said the need for Regina to have a facility such as the one in Saskatoon is dire.

“(The) safe consumption site is one part of it. Our organization also distributes over a fifth of all naloxone kits for the province,” he said. “(Regina does) clearly need a consumption site down there. The time to debate this was two, three years ago. It’s clear that they need one now.”

Also recorded in the report from the Saskatchewan Coroners Service is where these deaths are occurring. Thirty communities were listed as locations of the confirmed 122 deaths.

Regina led the way with 58, while Saskatoon had 24. But Mercredi added those numbers are about to rise.

“(These) are just confirmed. When all of them get assigned to their municipalities, there’s going to be a bunch of numbers going up across the entire province and the addictions crisis is affecting literally every demographic in this province,” he said.

“We’re having deaths in literally every demographic in the province. Yet we’ve had almost no government transparency on this outside of the coroner’s office. We need to know where overdoses are happening in the community, in real-time, so we can respond to it.

“This isn’t just Saskatoon and Regina, so why aren’t we getting the type of action that we would if this was DUIs, if this was diabetic-related complications for death or COVID complications for death? We’d be getting a lot bigger effort from the health authority and the Ministry of Health on this. It’s really disheartening to see that we have a lack of leadership on the addiction file.”

Mercredi also wonders where the Ministry of Health is on the file.

“How many press conferences have they done since the start of the year? And they haven’t held a single one about the overdose crisis. Clearly, this needs attention,” he said. “I think we’re tired of hearing about past investments the provincial government has made on addictions and mental health. We need some immediate steps taken.”

Government lays out its strategy

In an emailed statement, the Ministry of Health detailed the steps it has taken to address opioid-related overdoses and deaths in the province.

The budget announced in June included around $1.55 million for a new crystal meth inpatient treatment centre as well as pre- and post-treatment beds in Estevan. The facility will treat individuals from across the province for all addictions.

More than $1.7 million was budgeted for 28 new detox beds in Regina, Saskatoon, Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, North Battleford and other locations. As well, more than $800,000 will be used to hire addiction workers who will staff emergency departments in Regina, Saskatoon and Prince Albert.

Rapid Access Addictions Medicine program (RAAM) clinics have opened in Saskatoon, Prince Albert and Regina, with another one planned for North Battleford.

The Take Home Naloxone (THN) program already has handed out more than 5,400 kits so far in 2020 and, with the Saskatchewan Health Authority’s help with distribution, the program continues to expand.

The government also pointed to mental health and addictions support that is available through both the SHA and HealthLine 811.