At an Oct. 31 press conference yesterday at Queen’s Park, Sudbury MPP Jamie West reiterated his call for the province to take immediate action to address the opioid crisis, but when it came down to a vote, the motion went nowhere.
The motion — entitled Preventing Overdoses in the North: More than just a statistic — urged Premier Doug Ford’s government to take “immediate action to prevent opioid addiction and overdoses by investing in what West calls “evidenced-based health initiatives” to fight the crisis and mitigate the damage already done.
These measures include overdose prevention sites, mental health care, harm reduction strategies, residential treatment, anti-stigma training, and awareness programs.
“Ontario is in the middle of a public health emergency. In my community of Sudbury and across the North, rates of opioid use and overdoses have skyrocketed,” said West during the press conference. “People are in very real life-and-death struggles. Northerners need urgent action to ensure people have the supports they need to stay safe and heathy.”
You can watch Thursday's pre-vote press conference below:
But when it came time to vote on the motion, the ruling Conservatives simply voted it down. West said he was disappointed.
"We gave the Ford government a chance to take real action to prevent more opioid addiction and overdoses, and to save lives,” said West in a release to media. “I am disappointed that Doug Ford and the Conservatives chose to continue to ignore the devastating impact this crisis is having on Northern families and communities.”
Statistics provided by West show that in 2018, 1,473 people died opioid-related deaths that year. Of those, 141 people were in Northern Ontario. The MPP said health units in the North are dealing with some of the highest rates of opioid-related deaths and emergency room visits in the province. And those numbers are climbing, he said.
From January to June, West said Greater Sudbury paramedics responded to 262 suspected opioid overdoses, nearly 200 cases more than for the same period in 2018.
“Lives are being ripped apart by the tragic opioid crisis,” said West. “Front-line health workers are warning the public that the prevalence of fentanyl and carfentanyl in Northern Ontario is putting lives at risk. Those lost to overdose related incidents deserve to be more than just a statistic. We need action now to stop these tragedies.”
Marion Quigley, the outgoing CEP of the Sudbury-Manitoulin branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association, joined West at the press conference. She said those who are struggling with opioid addiction need “good timely access to treatment and supports.”
Pointing out that there is only one overdose prevention site operating in the North and it’s in Thunder Bay. He called the Ford government cuts to health care “cruel.”
“Communities, health care organizations and frontline health workers need a provincial partner to join them in helping people impacted by this crisis. Instead, the Ford government has been nothing short of cruel thus far,” said West. “. The Conservatives have cut public health funding, placed an arbitrary cap on the number of overdose prevention sites in Ontario, and are forcing frontline responders who are already run off their feet to do more with fewer resources."
