Sask. Coroners Service reports 113 confirmed and suspected drug toxicity deaths from January to March
Most confirmed deaths were due to opioids like fentanyl
The latest report from the Saskatchewan Coroners Service confirms 26 people died of drug toxicity from January to March of this year, with another 87 deaths suspected to be from the same cause.
Over the reported period, Regina saw the most confirmed deaths at 16, followed by Saskatoon at six. Most people died from opioids, like fentanyl, and were Indigenous, according to the coroners service. Data shows they were mostly between the ages of 20 and 50. One teen also died after using opioids.
Dr. Peter Butt, a retired physician, addictions medicine expert and University of Saskatchewan professor, said he's not surprised by the new numbers.
"I'm concerned that it's just simply going to escalate due to the toxicity of the supply that we have now, with fentanyl and fentanyl analogs essentially poisoning the system. People really don't know what they're getting and using, unfortunately," Butt said.
There were 484 confirmed and suspected drug toxicity deaths total in Saskatchewan in 2023.
The 2024 numbers come as a supervised consumption site and drop-in centre in Saskatoon is reducing its hours. Prairie Harm Reduction says it needs more money from the government to be able to keep up with increased demand.
The organization be closing its doors at 4 p.m. instead of 10 p.m. CST, beginning in May.
On Thursday, ministers responsible for mental health and addictions in Alberta, Ontario, and Saskatchewan announced an agreement to partner up and work together in "building systems of care that focus on recovery."
In a news release, the Government of Alberta said the partnership will include focus on recovery-oriented care, sharing best practices between the provinces, advancing partnerships with Indigenous communities, and advocating to the federal government for investment and policies that support recovery.
Tim McLeod, Saskatchewan's minister of mental health and addictions, seniors and rural and remote health, addressed the coroners service overdose statistics for January to March at a news conference in Calgary on Thursday.
"Every death due to an overdose is a tragedy. A single loss of life is a tragedy."
McLeod did not comment on people's concerns about Prairie Harm Reduction's reduced hours, but did say the government has a multi-pronged approach to treatment and recovery.
CBC asked McLeod how Saskatchewan seeks to help those with addictions who do not yet wish to attend a treatment centre.
"Those individuals may not be prepared or ready to walk the path to recovery, and that's why we've continued to invest in our take-away naloxone program where 40,000 individuals have been trained to administer naloxone at 400 locations across the province. Those kits are available. And we've successfully reversed 10,000 overdoses," McLeod said.
Meanwhile, Butt said all stakeholders need to focus on building a continuum of addictions support in the province, from prevention all the way to recovery.
"Polarization and battling between harm reduction versus recovery is not helpful," Butt said. "We need to recognize where they fit in, how they're best related and best situated in terms of extending services to people so we can help them along this journey."
McLeod said the new inter-provincial partnership for addictions recovery will help. He said the Saskatchewan government is doubling capacity to make addictions treatment more available and accessible.
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