City councillors hold forum on youth drug overdoses tonight

A group of Ottawa city councillors is inviting the public to an information session tonight on the recent surge in reported drug overdoses among youth in the city.

"The illicit drug problem with fentanyl is across the city, and definitely even across Ontario and Canada," Stittsville ward councillor Shad Qadri told Ottawa Morning host Hallie Cotnam Monday, ahead of the meeting.

"So it's not a one-area issue. It's just that in our area, the most recent cases have brought it to the forefront, and that's why we're going to be discussing and talking about it tonight."

The forum will take place at 6:30 p.m. in Hall A of the Kanata Recreation Complex at 100 Charlie Rogers Pl.

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Qadri, who's also chair of the Ottawa Board of Health, said the meeting will be an opportunity for community members to voice their concerns about the rising fentanyl crisis and learn about resources available to them to confront it.

"That is exactly the aim tonight: to bring all our partners together in one room, along with the public, to say, look, if you have questions, here are all the resources that available. Feel free to talk to them. Feel free to ask those questions, as well as having the councillors there to listen to the conversations, and see what other issues do arise, and what else can be done," he said.

"This is a new drug and a new problem."

Key organizations and experts on-hand

The forum was organized by Qadri and his council colleagues Allan Hubley, Marianne Wilkinson, Eli El-Chantiry, and Scott Moffatt. Several organizations will have a booth there, including:

• Ottawa Police Service.
• Ottawa Paramedic Service.
• Youth Services Bureau of Ottawa.
• Dave Smith Youth Treatment Centre.
• Rideauwood Addiction and Family Services.
• Ottawa-Carleton District School.
• Ottawa Catholic School Board.
• United Way Ottawa.

The Youth Services Bureau's assistant director of mental health services said he'll be available at a booth to answer questions, and will later participate in a panel discussion.

Ted Charette said the bureau can help refer families to the right mental health services, whether they're directly affected by addiction or struggling with the impact it's having on people they know.

"We are hearing that there are some youth and families in the community are struggling, I'm sure they don't know where to go, and hopefully an event like tonight will help point them in the right direction [to] get some support," he said.

Warning from police, public health

Experts from Ottawa Public Health will also deliver a presentation on the recent overdoses.

Earlier this month, police and public health officials issued a warning about a series of near-fatal overdoses could have been caused by counterfeit pills resembling OxyContin and Percocet.

The public health unit has also issued a list of pharmacies across Ottawa that carry naloxone — an antidote to opioids like fentanyl.

Qadri and his fellow councillors want to hear from parents about what their concerns are, and get ideas about strategies to confront the growing issue of youth overdoses.

"Right now the issue for us is to look at what is the current problems that we're facing, and go from there. If there's a need for an opioid task force, then I'm sure we'll definitely look at that going forward," he said.

The city-organized forum comes after just days after parents held a similar meeting at the same venue.