Bad drug alert: At least 23 more overdoses in Saskatoon in 24 hours

The Saskatoon Fire Department (SFD), already under pressure after a number of overdoses this week, is now dealing with 23 more in the last 24 hours.

A Saskatchewan Ministry of Health alert on Saturday said not only had the department responded to 25 overdoses in Saskatoon on Feb. 25 and 26 but had now had to deal with 23 further overdoses between 7 a.m. on Feb. 28 and 7 a.m. on March 1.

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The alert said that other agencies may have responded to additional overdoses and it was not known if the newly reported overdoses are from these same substances as reported earlier in the week, or involve a new batch of concern.

Testing provided by Prairie Harm Reduction on Feb. 26 said drugs sold as fentanyl or other drugs that are light pink chunks or dark purple chunks contain both fentanyl, benzos, and other unknown substances and pose a high risk of overdose.

Twenty more overdoses reported

Kayla DeMong, Prairie Harm Reduction’s Executive Director, said the 48 overdoses responded to by the fire department this past week doesn’t paint the full picture.

“From community (organizations) we are looking at, around 20,” said DeMong

The overdoses she referred to are in addition to those reported by SFD.

DeMong said it is a trend they’ve noticed since Jan. 11.

“We’ve seen an exponential rise over the last six weeks,” she said. “We’ve continued to see those trends throughout this time where we’re seeing these surges over 24 hours,” she said.

Rob Hogan, deputy chief of operations and emergency communications for the Saskatoon Fire Department, said on Saturday the continuing spike was alarming.

“In 2024 we were responding on an average to about three and a half overdoses a shift,” said Hogan. “Now we’re up to four and a half and, obviously, we’re having these spikes.”

Hogan said the number of overdoses has increased in 2025, compared to 2024.

Both SFD and Prairie Harm Reduction say none of the recent overdoses were fatal, but Hogan said it’s not as easy as a yes or no answer.

“That’s really hard to pin down, because there are calls we’ve gone to that are fatal that didn’t necessarily come in as an overdose,” he said. “That would be up to the coroner to make that decision, not us.”

Hogan said earlier in the week the department’s resources were under pressure.

“Our crews working last night, started to report to our command staff that they’ve gone to quite a number of overdoses overnight,” he said in an interview with 650 CKOM on Feb. 26.

“We actually had one where the crew was on scene and they found three people overdosed at it,” he said.

Hogan said at the time the number is likely higher as some calls don’t come in as overdoses.

“Not everybody goes to the hospital, some of them refuse treatment, but it puts a strain on our resources.”

“Our numbers for overdoses for this year have spiked quite a bit,” Hogan said as he pulled up a fire department report.

As of 8 a.m. on Feb. 25, Hogan said SFD dealt with 120 overdoses in February, compared to just 69 in February 2024.

He emphasized the department is not the only ones who respond to overdoses, saying Medavie Health Services West, Saskatoon Police Service and community-based partners track their own numbers.

A take-home naloxone kit. (650 CKOM files)

What can I do if I see an overdose?

People can call or text the National Overdose Response Service at 1-888-688-NORS (6677) if they are alone, and having a naloxone kit can also help.

Naloxone is used to treat overdoses for drugs like heroin, fentanyl, oxycodone and hydrocodone, but Praire Harm Reduction has said it has not been effective in all cases in the latest Saskatoon overdose spike because benzos are involved.

The Saskatchewan government provides free Naloxone kits and training on how to administer it to anyone at risk of an opioid overdose, as well as to anyone who might witness an overdose. The training also covers overdose prevention, recognition and response.

A list of places where the free kits are available can be found here. Emergency departments across the province also carry the kits, and they can be purchased at some pharmacies as well.”

Canada’s Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act offers some legal protection and applies to anyone seeking emergency support during an overdose, including any person experiencing an overdose.

The Act protects the person who seeks help, whether they stay or leave from the overdose scene before help arrives. The Act also protects anyone else who is at the scene when help arrives.

Symptoms of an overdose may include but are not limited to: