Of the total number of fentanyl-related deaths in Edmonton last year, most occurred outside the inner city.
At a meeting at City Hall Monday, talk was again raised about pushing the province to declare a public health emergency. Mayor Don Iveson said that while there is no doubt the current situation is serious, more information is needed.
“I think for one city to just call for it on our own makes for a good headline, but it may or may not be what’s actually needed right now,” he said.
According to the latest numbers released by Alberta Health, in 2016 there were 109 drug overdose deaths related to fentanyl in Edmonton. There were 150 in Calgary.
In both cities, the majority of the cases occurred outside the central urban core at 85 percent.
READ MORE: 7 people charged; hundreds of fentanyl pills seized in Fort McMurray
That’s not a surprise to the people at the Parents Empowering Parents Society. Executive director Lerena Greig said fentanyl users are often dying in their houses or their parents houses.
“It’s happening in our homes, it’s happening in the affluent areas of Alberta. It is not a drug that’s just reaching the inner city, it has a widespread effect,” she said.
Greig wants action now on treatment, prevention and education.
“I would love the province to declare a state of emergency because what happens then is resources open up,” she explained. “How many bodies do we have to count before we consider it an emergency?”
Iveson agreed the issue is far more widespread than many people realize. He acknowledged the implications facing first responders, including occupational health and safety issues, as well as stress.
“I think what we have to do is figure out how to move past reacting to this crisis and into prevention mode,” the mayor added.
“Those investments – particularly in things like supportive housing, harm reduction, safe injection – those are all on the provincial side. So I’d rather they move ahead boldly with prevention initiatives rather than get mired in conversation about the costs of reacting to the crisis.”
READ MORE: Alberta to hire 2 more medical examiners to deal with increasing demand, fentanyl overdoses
Equipment required by police to examine the kinds of drugs they encounter can also be very costly.
“For the handheld ionizer – $38,000 to $50,000 for that piece of equipment,” Edmonton Police Service (EPS) deputy chief Brian Simpson said. “It’s evolving technology.”
Provincially 343 people died from apparent drug overdoses related to fentanyl last year, including 22 cases where carfentanil was involved. In 2015, there were 257 deaths related to fentanyl.
With files from Sarah Kraus
Watch below: The majority of fentanyl-related deaths in Edmonton last year took place outside the inner city. Is it time for Alberta to declare a public health emergency? Shallima Maharaj explains.
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