How is Canada solving its opioid crisis 10 years later?

In 2016, the Canadian federal government recognized the opioid crisis as a public health emergency, yet 10 years later, thousands of Canadians die from opioid toxicity every year.

Health Canada committed $17 million to research projects and harm reduction initiatives aimed at substance use prevention in late 2025, but one problem that’s hard to put a dollar figure on to fix is stigmatization and stereotypes surrounding safe consumption sites – which Ontario closed nine of last year.

Host Maria Kestane speaks to Dimitra Panagiotoglou, the Canada Research Chair in the Economics of Harm Reduction and associate professor at McGill, to discuss her recent study on the relationship between crime associated with supervised consumption sites, and how Canadians can approach nuanced conversations surrounding substance use.

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