3 days ago
Opioid related deaths down 40% in Middlesex London
While the latest numbers are encouraging, Middlesex London's medical officer of health is not about to celebrate.
'This is good news, but it's not great news. It still means that a number of people in our community are continuing to be significantly impacted from opioid deaths,' said Dr. Alex Summers.
Citing new statistics from the Ontario Office of the Chief Coroner, the Middlesex London Health Unit says there were 69 opioid related deaths in 2024 - a mortality rate of 11.6 per 100,000 people.
That's down 40 per cent from one year earlier, when the rate was 19.3 per 100,000. It's also less than half its peak during the COVID pandemic in 2021, which saw a rate of 25 deaths per 100,000.
'We have to acknowledge that the rates are still very, very high, as we can see and feel in our community,' said Dr. Summers.
Medical Officer of Health Dr. Alex Summers
Middlesex London Medical Officer of Health Dr. Alex Summers speaks to CTV News on June 5, 2025. (Bryan Bicknell/CTV News London)
Provincially, 2,231 people died from opioids last year, down 15 per cent from 2023- a rate of 14.3 deaths per 100,000 people.
'It's still five-thousand people that have died over the last two years,' commented Zoe Dodd of the Toronto Overdose Prevention Society.
'This is nothing like pre the toxic supply where we had, you know, a few hundred people dying,' she said of the provincial statistics.
Dr. Summers said it's not known with any certainty why the trend is going down.
'Some have hypothesized that this is related to a stabilization of the toxic drug supply, such that there's a bit more predictability in use,' he explained.
Ten supervised consumption sites remain in Ontario, including one in London. However, the province is transitioning to Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment, or the 'Hart Hub' model.
'These are treatment hubs that for individuals who need that primary care support will get it, who need access to mental health and addiction support will get it,' said Health Minister Sylvia Jones at Queens Park.
London will be home to one of 28 Hart Hubs across the province, with 60 Hart Hub beds at the Salvation Army Centre of Hope.
The timeline for a phased in opening was expected to be last month. The operator, Thames Valley Addiction Services, says it's still waiting for funding approval from the province.
