Latest news with #PrairieHarmReduction
CTV News
3 days ago
- Health
- CTV News
‘Kind of scares me': Saskatoon Fire Department fearful as opioid overdoses double
A passionate committee meeting at City Hall has shed some light on Saskatoon's opioid crisis. 'The pressure that this has put on us, has been a pressure that we've never seen before,' said Kayla Demong, the executive director of Prairie Harm Reduction. Earlier this year, Saskatoon saw a surge in overdose calls related to opioids over several weeks in late February and March. On Tuesday, the Saskatoon Fire Department, Prairie Harm Reduction and the Saskatoon Community Clinic told councillors about the data compiled, the toll it took on people and the fears that linger as the crisis shows no signs of slowing down. 'They have spent the last six months running into a burning building,' Toby Esterby, the chief operating office of the Saskatoon Community Clinic, said of the fire department. 'That burning building is your city. They are literally saving hundreds of lives.' From Jan. 1, 2025 to May 21, 2025, Saskatoon firefighters responded to 1,149 overdoses, compared to 568 in that same span last year. The jump represents a 102 per cent increase, largely fueled by 509 overdoses in a month where the Ministry of Health issued five of its nine drug alerts related to the spike in overdoses. On March 6, the city activated its emergency operations centre to better respond and share information between government agencies and community partners. This eventually led to the province initiating its emergency operations centre — the first time that has happened for a city event. Data shared by the fire department says there were nine days between Jan. 1 and May 21 when the fire department responded to over 20 overdoses per day, and two days where there were over 30 overdoses. In 2024, the fire department responded to a total of 1,281 overdoses. By May 31, 2025, there have been 1,217 overdoses. In 2024, the firefighters responded to an average of 3.3 overdoses per day. So far in 2025, firefighters are responding to eight overdoses in a 24-hour shift. 'It kind of scares me what's going to happen going into the summer,' Assistant Fire Chief Rob Hogan said. Hogan said when he began working as a paramedic, a handful of overdose calls in a year would be 'shocking.' He says paramedics in Saskatoon are responding to more than that in one shift, and something needs to be done. 'If I was to come to you and say we had eight house fires over three and a half last year, there would be a ton of questions asked about what's going on,' he said to councillors. 'These are direct lives that are being impacted. So, I really think this year we're going to see a substantial increase per day of overdoses that we go to.' While he's afraid of how the opioid crisis will affect his staff if it continues like he anticipates, he says community partners are feeling it as well. Demong said she became the focal point of the crisis, and after repeated traumatic experiences, Prairie Harm needed to close temporarily on March 19 for the sake of her staff's health. 'We were the ones being asked to do all the drug testing, which meant we were the ones out there trying to find samples to test,' Demong said. " We were the ones having to give that information back to the province so that they could issue alerts in a timely manner. I'm the one getting phone calls from the police saying, 'do you know who's doing this?' she said. 'We needed a break and there should be no confusion in that.' As part of the provincial response, the Saskatchewan Health Authority agreed to contribute $100,000 — that's equivalent to the cost of approximately four primary care paramedics in one month — to help Saskatoon cover the $145,000 of overtime incurred in a six-week span, let alone the cost of Naloxone kits and other supplies. The city and province were also able to collaborate to create a dashboard of data of the number of overdose deaths and other applicable information. But Pamela Goulden-McLeod, the city's director of emergency management, said the provincial data uses overdoses presented at the emergency room, which she estimates is roughly half of all overdoses firefighters respond to. 'Is it your understanding that the provincial government is now just viewing this as our new normal?' Mayor Cynthia Block asked Hogan. Fire Chief Doug Wegren told councillors the fire department, along with other divisions in the city, is tracking costs related to overdoses, encampments and other issues of provincial responsibility that have fallen on the city recently in hopes of preparing a report in the future. Hogan says plenty needs to happen for meaningful change to reverse the opioid crisis. He says Saskatoon will likely surpass last year's number of calls in a matter of days, and something as simple as communication between agencies can be complicated by privacy legislation. 'I hate to say it, HIPA (Health Information Protection Act) needs to change because this is a crisis,' he said. 'And if we aren't willing to share the data, and unfortunately, step on a little bit of your liberties to try to save your life, we're never going to get there.' Hogan said if one organization can't get a hold of crucial information and share that information with another partner to meet a person's needs or allocated resources, he suspects the crisis will continue. 'If we could get to that level of interaction, I think we could start to really solve this problem,' Hogan said.
CBC
24-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
Sask. firefighters are responding to more overdose calls — and it's taking a toll
Joel McNair and his team spring into action the moment the bell rings at the Number 1 fire station in Saskatoon, sliding down the fire pole, jumping onto a fire truck and speeding off to the call. More often than not these days in the city, firefighters are being called to a drug overdose. A veteran of 22 years, McNair said it wasn't always that way. "People are openly taking fentanyl. We don't ask them if they've taken heroin. We ask them if they've taken fentanyl," he told host Sam Maciag on the CBC podcast This is Saskatchewan. "The other thing that's happening now is they're putting other drugs in there, which makes it harder for the Narcan." McNair said Saskatoon fire crews had responded to 1,088 overdose calls this year, as of May 15. He dug into the archives of his specific station and found that in 2000, they responded to 3,385 calls of any kind during the whole year. As of May 15, Number 1 station had responded to 500 calls more than that (3,885), with more than six months to go. Saskatchewan's Ministry of Health has issued at least three overdose alerts for Saskatoon so far this year. The most recent came in May after the fire department responded to 30 drug overdoses over three days. Another in February alerted the public to 14 overdoses in 24 hours, and another in March — perhaps the most alarming — to 37 overdoses in 24 hours. The spike in March was so serious that Saskatoon's only supervised consumption site, Prairie Harm Reduction, closed its doors for almost two weeks to give its exhausted staff a break. During that time, two library branches in Saskatoon also closed, saying staff weren't equipped to deal with the number of overdoses happening in their space. Things in Regina aren't much better. Firefighters are responding to significantly more overdoses than fire calls. "My record — if you want to call it a record, if you're keeping track — is four overdoses before lunch, two to the same address for different people," said Tyler Packham, who is president of Regina Professional Fire Fighters L181 and has more than two decades of service under his belt. McNair and Packham agree the new reality is taking a different kind of toll on fire crews, particularly when it comes to repeat users. McNair, in recovery himself from alcohol addiction, sees each call as an opportunity for someone to make a change. But not all firefighters are able to see it that way. "It turns you a little bit hard. It turns you a little bit crass. It turns you a little bit judgmental. It turns you a little bit opinionated at times, and that is not a good place to be," Packham said. That's where Nick Carleton comes in. He's a professor of clinical psychology at the University of Regina and the lead researcher at the Psychological Trauma and Stress Lab. His work focuses on supporting the mental health of trauma-exposed professionals, including first responders and other public safety personnel, health-care workers, military members and veterans. Carleton said dispatching firefighters to overdose calls should be an extraordinary, temporary band-aid solution to help overwhelmed ambulances and hospitals, not the norm that it's become. "In the general population, we might be exposed to five or fewer potentially psychologically traumatic events in our entire lifetime," he said, noting that first responders could be exposed to that many in a day. "We need to recognize the toll that we are tasking on all of our first responders and we have to do a way better job of supporting them." Packham said Regina firefighters only have $300 of coverage to see a counsellor or social worker each year. With common rates around $200 per hour, that doesn't go very far. Carleton suggests first responders get familiar with PSPNET, an online service that provides free, confidential, online cognitive behaviour therapy. As for the opioid crisis, he said all levels of government need to start talking and get invested. "There is no silver bullet, There's no magic solution here. In many ways we're deploying our first responders to try and navigate poverty at this point," he said. "We're having them try and collectively navigate addiction, which is a huge health related issue and it should be treated as a health-related problem, but it is also associated with difficulties with things like poverty." At the end of the day, McNair and Packham say that when the bell rings, they always roll. If someone wants to be a firefighter, they'll encourage them while also sharing the realities of the job. They know people rely on them now more than ever. "It's the greatest job ever," Packham said. "It is, it still is."
Global News
13-05-2025
- Health
- Global News
Saskatoon's overdose numbers are once again hitting record levels
On Tuesday, May 13th, an advisory was sent out by the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health stating that an unknown substance in Saskatoon has been causing higher risk of overdose. From May 9th to May 11th, the Saskatoon Fire Department responded to 30 overdoses, 17 of which took place on the 11th. Recent testing has shown that multiple dangerous substances are circulating in Saskatoon. To help find the root of the issue, Prairie Harm Reduction has also been testing drugs brought in for any abnormalities. At first, they tested party drugs and now they are looking to further testing on street substances. Anyone who partakes in drugs but is scared due to this spike can take their substances to the centre to be tested. Get weekly health news Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday. Sign up for weekly health newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The Saskatoon Fire Department is urging more citizens to get take home Naloxone kits. Kits can be found in pharmacies and health centers across the province. A list of extra locations can be found here. Story continues below advertisement With the sudden spike after a brief reprieve, Kyle Sereda, Saskatoon Chief of Medavie Health Services West says stress has been high for paramedics. 'We see some challenges on our streets, we see some of the challenges with mental health and addictions and paramedic by nature is just looking to help those (in need), but we have limited resources on what we can and can't do on the streets.' explains Sereda. 'We provide whatever we can so that our paramedics and teams can still deliver services while not overburdening them and keeping in mind all the other emergencies that are going on at the same time.' Kayla Demong, executive director for Prairie Harm Reduction says that the homelessness crisis is just as big of an issue in the province. 'When we don't have proper supports in place for people, there's a ripple effect and increased drug use is one of those things.'
CBC
13-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
Drug alert issued for Saskatoon after 30 overdoses in 3 days
The provincial Ministry of Health has issued an overdose alert for Saskatoon after the fire department responded to 30 overdoses over three days. "Dangerous drugs are in the area, though exact substances are unknown," said the alert, which was issued late Monday afternoon. It said the fire department responded to five overdoses on Friday, eight on Saturday and 17 on Sunday. Other agencies may have responded to even more overdoses, the alert said. "Recent testing indicates multiple substances are circulating in the community," it said. Naloxone temporarily reverses the effects of opioids. People can access free training and a free take-home naloxone kit online or by calling HealthLine 811. The kits are also available from community partners and at emergency departments, and naloxone can be bought at pharmacies. Prairie Harm Reduction, Saskatoon's only supervised consumption site and a centre for helping those living with addictions, also posted an overdose alert on its Facebook page. "This is a serious reminder that overdoses are still happening in our city — frequently and quietly," the notice said. "This crisis isn't over. If you use substances: carry naloxone, don't use alone, let someone know to check in on you." Prairie Harm Reduction closed for 11 days in March to give exhausted staff a break amid the ongoing surge of overdoses in the city.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Saskatoon drug crisis like 'nothing we've ever seen before' puts lives at risk daily: Prairie Harm Reduction
The alarm bells in Saskatoon haven't stopped ringing, as the city continues to grapple with a drug overdose crisis that's jeopardizing lives every day. On Tuesday, the Saskatoon Fire Department reported that it has responded to 935 overdose incidents or suspected opioid poisonings since the start of this year. The department responded to 376 incidents over the same time period last year — less than half of what's been reported this year. Halfway through April, this year's numbers are already approaching the total of 1,282 calls in all of 2024. The fire department cautions that the number of people getting help might actually be higher, because the numbers do not account for how many patients are involved at each call. Kayla DeMong, the executive director of Prairie Harm Reduction, says the crisis is unprecedented. "This is nothing we've ever seen before. It doesn't seem to be going away. Things have plateaued, which doesn't mean they're getting better." Kayla DeMong, the executive director of Prairie Harm Reduction, says the crisis is unprecedented. (CBC) Prairie Harm Reduction — Saskatoon's only supervised consumption site — tests drugs for composition and toxicity, and the city has been "completely saturated" by a toxic drug supply, said DeMong. Last month, the site temporarily paused its operations to give its staff a chance to recover from the trauma of dealing with the overdose crisis head-on. The centre has reopened, but DeMong says the need for help continues. "We were seeing days where all the staff did was revive people their whole shifts, and days where it was four people at a time, six people at a time," she said. This month, the fire department said it had responded to 119 overdose incidents or suspected opioid poisonings as of Tuesday, more than double the 53 calls in April 2024. During a period of just over two weeks last month, the department responded to one overdose call in the city every hour, on average. According to the Saskatchewan Coroners Service, there were 16 confirmed and 76 suspected drug toxicity deaths in the province in the first three months of this year, including seven in Saskatoon. 'So many people dying': advocate David Fineday, an advocate for homeless people who is originally from Sweetgrass First Nation, leads smudging and drum circles in Saskatoon. He says the people he helps have complex needs. The majority are Indigenous and many are living with trauma, including survivors of residential schools and the Sixties Scoop. "It really upsets me for people to just ignore stuff like that when there's so many people dying," he said. "I know eventually everybody has to go, but not like the way that they're letting them go. Overdoses, freezing — that doesn't have to happen in 2025." David Fineday, a front-line worker advocating for people experiencing homelessness, says more social services and housing are desperately needed to get people off the streets and into recovery. (Chanss Langaden/CBC) Last month, Saskatoon Mayor Cynthia Block pointed to a long-term solution: housing. City council has approved 256 affordable housing units in the past six months, about 70 per cent of which have wraparound supports, she said. Council has also approved a study for a navigational hub, meant to be a one-stop shop to help people experiencing homelessness with services, said Block. On March 12, the Saskatchewan government said it would activate its provincial emergency operations centre, led by the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, in response to what it termed the "toxic drug crisis" in Saskatoon. The province has also promised additional first responder staff and naloxone kits, but front-line workers say more social services and housing are desperately needed to get people off the streets and into this week, the provincial government introduced legislation that would see fentanyl, methamphetamine and hypodermic needles categorized as street weapons. Amendments to The Safe Public Spaces Act are expected to be passed in the legislature this spring and come into force during the summer, according to a news release by the province Tuesday. Justice Minister Tim McLeod called it a "pivotal step" to ensuring public places are "free from intimidation [and] violence caused by street weapons and illicit drugs." With drug use spilling into Saskatoon libraries, two branches shut their doors to increase security last month, with a plan to reopen next week with beefed up security. But DeMong says moving people around or policies categorizing drugs as street weapons will not address sustained underlying problems. Both she and Fineday say it is key to invest in housing, health care, mental health care, community centres and education. "Imagine what we could do if we were spending the money on these services that are preventative and can intervene in what we're seeing," said DeMong. "All the money we would have — to put into other things rather than overspending on ineffective policies and discriminatory practices that are further criminalizing people in our province."
