Addictions Minister Says ‘Overdose Crisis’ a Top Public Health Threat as Fatalities Rise

The national average of fatal drug overdoses has reached 22 per day, which amounts to “one of the most serious and unprecedented public health threats in Canada’s recent history,” says the federal mental health and addictions minister. The supply of drugs is growing in Canada and fentanyl has made the supply increasingly dangerous, said Ya’ara Saks in a statement commenting on newly available government data on overdoses and deaths. The data said there are roughly 80 emergency department visits related to opioid poisonings across the country daily. There were 33,015 emergency services calls for suspected opioid-related overdoses from January to September of 2023—an average of 121 EMS responses per day, the minister said in a March 27 statement....