May 18th, 2017

NDP demands Wynne act now and provide Toronto needed funds to stop opioid crisis

During question period on Thursday, the NDP’s health critic, France Gélinas, demanded that Premier Kathleen Wynne give Toronto the funds needed to save lives and stop the growing opioid crisis. Wynne is holding back money the Toronto Board of Health needs. 

“Ontario is in the midst of an opioid crisis that demands urgent action,” said Gélinas. “People are losing their lives, every day, on the streets of this city.”

 

Drug overdoses in Toronto in 2015 claimed the lives of 258 people in Toronto. And that number continues to climb said Gélinas.  On March 20, the Toronto Board of Health requested additional funding of $375,000 from the Wynne government to support Toronto’s Overdose Action Plan.

“This government has, so far, refused to provide the additional funding that’s needed,” said Gélinas.

“In the midst of a growing crisis of overdose deaths when everyone recognizes that urgent action is desperately needed, why has this government failed to provide the resources that Toronto needs to help save lives?”

Gélinas said that the Wynne government must act immediately to stop the growing opioid public health crisis in Toronto, and right across the province.

“When local boards of health need the premier to step up and provide additional support to help save lives, this government should be ready to help in a heartbeat.

“That’s what urgent action means. And that’s what this crisis demands.

“How much longer does Toronto have to wait to get the additional funding to save lives – and stop the overdose crisis in this city?”