NDP’s West presents motion to save lives and prevent opioid overdoses in Northern Ontario

SUDBURY- Jamie West, NDP MPP for Sudbury, announced today that he will introduce a private member’s motion in the legislature calling on the Ford government to take immediate action to prevent opioid addiction and overdoses, and to save lives in Northern Ontario.

The motion, Preventing Overdoses in the North: More than just a statistic, aims to give people suffering from opioid addiction a chance at survival, by funding evidence-based health initiatives like overdose prevention sites, harm reduction strategies, residential treatment, anti-stigma training, and awareness programs.

“Opioid addiction is devastating our communities. Nobody is left untouched by these tragedies,” said West. “Frontline health workers are warning us that the introduction of fentanyl into northern communities is putting more lives at risk.”

In 2017, there were 1,265 opioid-related deaths in the province. In Northern Ontario, 105 opioid related deaths were recorded, with 34 people dying in the Greater Sudbury Region. Public Health Units in the North had some of the highest rates of opioid related deaths in the province and the number is climbing at an alarming rate.

Richard Rainville, Executive Director of Réseau ACCESS Network, HIV/Hepatitis Health and Social Services in Sudbury, agrees that it is paramount that organizations whose frontline employees, peers and volunteers work directly with those most affected by the opioid overdose crisis, be able to provide ongoing supports and resources.

“Those providing services shouldn’t need to worry that people who use drugs and who need help don’t have access to harm reduction supplies, access to appropriate treatment centers, or safe consumption or injection sites,” said Rainville. “Our primary goal should be to keep individuals safe, healthy and alive.”

The NDP motion also includes many of the concerns West heard at two community town halls he held about the issue in November 2018 and March 2019. West said that people in the community want to raise awareness and remove the stigma associated with opioid addiction.

“It is not a crime to be addicted to opioids, it’s an illness,” said West. “We have lost our neighbours, friends, and loved ones to this crisis. They deserve to be more than just a statistic. We need action now to stop these tragedies.”

Currently, Northern Ontario only has one overdose prevention site located in Thunder Bay – 1,000 km away.

“In the midst of this public health emergency, the Ford government has been nothing short of cruel. The Conservatives’ cuts to public health and their arbitrary cap on the number of overdose prevention sites in Ontario has ripped away supports from people in very real life-and-death struggles,” said West.

“Doug Ford’s callous cuts to services that assist people with addictions, from supportive housing to health care, will hit the North particularly hard. Responding to the overdose crisis is already challenging. The amalgamation of public health units and cuts to their funding will only make the situation worse.

“Northern families deserve a government that will work with local public health units to respond to the overdose crisis as a public health emergency. I am urging this government to invest in services that will allow frontline health workers in the North to carry out life-saving, evidence-supported work that will save lives in our community.”