Overdose deaths rise in September as crisis worsens in Saskatchewan

The overdose and addictions crisis in Saskatchewan is not going away.

It’s getting worse.

According to the latest statistics provided by the Saskatchewan Coroners Service, the province has recorded 303 suspected and confirmed overdose deaths from January until Monday of this week.

That put Saskatchewan on pace for 399 overdose deaths this year, which would break the yearly record of 329 set in 2020.

In Saskatoon, internal data compiled by the police is tracking 73 per cent more overdoses in 2021 compared to the same time period for May. On top of that, September was the worst month since May in terms of overdoses reported to the Saskatoon Police Service.

According to Jason Mercredi, executive director of Prairie Harm Reduction (PHR), the city also experienced a “rash” of overdoses just this past weekend.

“A lot of people were using what they thought was this brown, chalky meth,” he said. “It actually turned out to be MDMA mixed with fentanyl.

“We want to get the word out because it was a type of drug we’ve never seen in the city … It’s not looking too good right now.”

Mercredi described the situation around overdoses as getting “worse.”

“The homelessness situation in this city hasn’t helped, with it growing pretty much exponentially. We’ve seen a number of people (and) we’ve had a number of clients pass away. It’s frustrating because it’s usually during hours that we’re not opening,” he explained.

PHR is the province’s first safe consumption site. It opened just over one year ago, on Oct. 1, 2020.

Mercredi said there haven’t been any talks between the organization and the province in respect to funding the safe consumption site.

In a July interview with 650 CKOM, Mercredi outlined his organization receives government funding for other services, but not the area where clients use their substances.

PHR receives $320,000 from the Ministry of Health to run its outreach services and naloxone trainers. An additional $670,000 is given for its Family Support Program, which runs off-site, near PHR in an apartment building.

The overdose figures dropped over the summer, with just 269 reported as of the beginning of September. Thirty-four deaths — more than a death a day — were recorded last month in Saskatchewan.

A total of 26 communities were impacted by overdose deaths, led by Regina (63) and Saskatoon (37). Over the past two years, Regina has averaged around double the deaths of Saskatoon.

Of the 26 centres, nine were Indigenous communities.

The confirmed overdose deaths this year include 34 Caucasian men, the most among all categories of race and gender.