Provincial government offers help to Saskatoon amid ‘toxic drug crisis’

The Government of Saskatchewan is offering help to Saskatoon as the city deals with a high number of overdoses.

The Bridge City has seen a spike in overdoses over the past two months, with more than one overdose happening every hour at some points.

“We’ve seen an exponential rise over the last six weeks,” said Kayla DeMong, executive director of Prairie Harm Reduction, which operates a supervised drug injection site in the city.

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DeMong’s organization has been warning the public about bad batches of drugs circulating in Saskatoon, noting that naloxone – a nasal spray administered to temporarily reverse the effects of an opioid overdose – is not always effective in cases where the drugs are with benzodiazepines, a non-opioid depressant.

On Wednesday, the provincial government said it has activated its Provincial Emergency Operations Centre in order to enhance the response to the overdose crisis, working alongside the City of Saskatoon and the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health.

“Activating the PEOC will allow us to enhance the co-ordination between government ministries and organizations that respond to overdoses,” Marlo Pritchard, president of the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, said in a statement.

“This approach will help us reinforce the work being done to save lives across the province. This collaborative effort will allow for enhanced coordination, allow for stronger communication and reduce gaps.”

The Ministry of Health and Saskatchewan Health Authority have already provided more naloxone kits to organizations in the city, the provincial government noted, and last month the province announced stronger penalties aiming to curb the production, transportation, sale and use of methamphetamine and fentanyl, which include fines up to $1 million in some cases.

“This alarming rise in overdoses in Saskatoon further emphasizes that no illicit drug is safe and anyone who uses drugs is at risk of overdose,” Lori Carr, Saskatchewan’s minister of mental health and addictions, said in a statement.

Saskatoon Mayor Cynthia Block encouraged all residents of the city to reach out to their family and friends to spread awareness of the crisis.

“Now more than ever, it is crucial that we support one another during this challenging time,” Block said, quoted in a provincial government release.

“I want to extend my gratitude to the province and to everyone in our city who is working tirelessly to address and combat this crisis.”