Ottawa seeing spike in overdoses, numbers are concerning says local organization

The Ottawa Police Service (OPS) reported earlier this week that there has been a significant surge in calls for overdoses in 2023, rising by 163 per cent compared with the previous year.

The number of calls OPS received in 2022 has already been exceeded this year, and this doesn’t account for all overdose calls, as some are directed elsewhere.

Chief executive officer (CEO) of Ottawa Inner City Health, Rob Boyd, told The Sam Laprade Show with guest host Derick Fage on July 26, we’re seeing a sharp increase in the first quarter of this year, already above overdose numbers reported in 2022.

 He attributed this spike to an increase in the number of people using drugs – with a rise in alcohol and cannabis use, among other substances, related to mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 “We’ve been experiencing an undertow of COVID waves over the last couple of years and we’re going to continue seeing people who are not well, trying to cope and are continuing to rely on substances,” said Boyd.

 Another factor is a lack of control over the drug supply, meaning changes in toxicity and new chemicals entering the market are impacting overdose numbers, he explained.

 “When we’re talking about an unregulated market, even small variations (in substances) can lead to an increase in overdoses because the margin of error is so small with the drugs that are out there,” added Boyd.

 According to Ottawa Inner City Health, there has been a trend moving away from injecting drugs, to smoking drugs, with a dramatic change dating back to 2017.

This transition began just as consumption sites we’re getting on board and consequently, they’ve fallen behind in the interventions they able to offer, said Boyd.

This move away from injecting substances is related to the idea there is less risk of overdose with smoking. But this is not the case, he explained. Most of the increase in overdose deaths in Ontario, and Ottawa, are associated with smoking rather than injecting.

 While there’s an unprecedented rise in overdoses in the nation’s capital, Boyd reminds us there’s still much more we can do,

 “We need to look at scaling up safer supply programs that are available,” explained Boyd. “There’s good evidence that programs have been lowering the number of people accessing drugs from unregulated markets, reducing overdoses and connecting them with care.”

 Boyd is calling for more supportive housing, with models that are based on a harm-reduction approach that will provide wrap-around supports.

 Raising awareness to the importance of Naloxone in saving lives is critical, added Boyd. Ensuring it’s readily available prior to drug use and making sure others are present when using are suggested in overdose prevention.

 “There’s still a lot we can do and we really need to put more effort and resources into this (overdose prevention),” he said.