Both the city and an organization that runs a controlled-use facility in downtown Ottawa have reported an increase in suspected overdose calls and deaths in the past week, and warned that it could be due to a “bad batch” of drugs .
In a news release Tuesday, Ottawa’s Overdose Prevention and Response Task Force warned residents of an “increase” in suspected overdose incidents, noting that police and paramedics responded to at least 22 calls for service over the past last week. There have been five suspected overdose deaths, the city said.
Police said the “increase” was from last week, when they responded to 11 calls for suspected overdoses.
Wendy Muckle, CEO of Ottawa Inner City Health, which provides health services for the homeless, says the city’s figures aren’t surprising based on what she’s seen in shelters and at the busiest controlled consumption facility in Ottawa, located in the ByWard Market.
That’s five lives that were 100 percent needlessly lost.- Wendy Muckle, CEO of Ottawa Inner City Health
“We’re also seeing a spike, so the numbers are not a surprise,” Muckle said. “Usually that just means a bad batch of drugs. In this case, I think it’s fentanyl.”
She explained how one person at the facility overdosed on Monday after using what they believe was marijuana. The drug appeared to contain fentanyl, Muckle said.
“So people are using what they think they would normally use, but unfortunately they’re overdosing as a result.”
Muckle said the supervised consumption facility on Murray Street sees about one overdose every 24 hours on average. In the past week, there have been 29 overdoses at the site, compared to 20 the previous week.
“Definitely an increase from what we normally see,” she said.
Wendy Muckle, CEO of Ottawa Inner City Health, at a supervised injection site. She says the five suspected overdose deaths are heartbreaking and “100 percent preventable.” (Lori Fagan/CBC)
Muckle said the recent spike in overdoses in Ottawa, while not unusual, should serve as a warning to the community “that things are not good.”
“We need solutions to this overdose crisis. This has plagued our city since 2017,” Muckle said, adding that Ottawa needs long-term investments in trauma prevention, decriminalization and treatment.
“My heart goes out to their families, their community and loved ones. That’s five lives that were 100 percent needlessly lost. Every single one of these deaths is 100 percent preventable.”
Symptoms and safety tips
According to the latest Ottawa Public Health (OPH) preliminary data for 2022, there were 71 emergency hospital visits related to opiate overdoses in May. The highest number so far this year was 76 emergency visits in March.
In 2021, OPH recorded 127 opioid overdose deaths.
Symptoms or signs of an opioid overdose include slow or absent breathing, blue nails and lips, gurgling or snoring sounds, choking, clammy or cold skin, small pupils and immobility or unconsciousness, according to the city.
The city reminds people who use drugs:
- Never use alone or if you do, tell someone beforehand and have a safety plan.
- Never mix medicines.
- Go slowly as the quality of illegal drugs is unpredictable.
- Carry naloxone, a drug that can temporarily reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
- Know your tolerance.
- Consider visiting one of the controlled consumption sites in town.
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