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‘Human tragedy’: 523 opioid overdose deaths reported in Toronto last year, TPH saysToronto's top doctor is calling the opioid overdose crisis a drug toxicity epidemic and is pushing for an empathetic health response.CanadaMay 29
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Lake Country police seize methamphetamine, fentanyl in traffic stopBoth individuals were released from custody while a complete report to Crown counsel is prepared for the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, RCMP said.CrimeJul 17
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Downtown Eastside could lose 2 public toilets as funding dries upThe city first installed the facilities, both operated by the Overdose Prevention Society, as a temporary response to the growing homelessness crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic.PoliticsJul 1
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British Columbia lifts COVID-19 vaccine mandate for health-care workersCollecting these records will allow health-care administrators to make staffing decisions in the event of an exposure, outbreak, or future pandemic.HealthJul 26
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B.C. kept on cutting edge of the legal landscape around drug useIn 2021, the Vancouver-based Drug User Liberation Front approached Health Canada with a proposal to buy heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine on the dark web.HealthJul 18
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Poilievre calls supervised consumption sites ‘drug dens,’ vows to close some'We will defund them. There will not be a single taxpayer dollar from the Poilievre government going to drug dens,' Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said.CanadaJul 12
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Addictions minister had ‘deep concerns’ with Toronto’s decriminalization pitchFederal Addictions Minister Ya'ara Saks says she had "deep concerns" about the lack of limits Toronto put on its now-rejected pitch to decriminalize the possession of illegal drugsCanadaMay 24
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Diversion of safe supply drugs makes up majority of seized opioids: London policeA major issue that police and community health prescribers are tackling is the diversion of Dilaudid from prescribed safe supply programs.CrimeJul 15
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First Oregon, now B.C.: Why drug decriminalization faces renewed questionsDrug addiction researchers and advocates for a comprehensive, health-based approach say decriminalization needs time to work, and only with connected supports.HealthMay 20
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Removal of safe supplies has made Saskatchewan’s addiction crisis worse, experts sayLocal experts in harm reduction services talk the after-effects of the province discontinuing its safe supply program where free and clean pipes were given to drug users.CanadaJun 26
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Ontario warns Toronto Public Health to drop drug decriminalization applicationOntario has warned Toronto Public Health's top doctor to drop the city's drug decriminalization application with Health Canada.CanadaMay 16
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Peterborough health officials applaud AMO stance on opioid crisisA report from the Association of Municipalities of Ontario calls for more action from the province to tackle the opioid crisis that saw 2,300 people die in 2023 alone.HealthJul 10
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B.C. rejects Dr. Bonnie Henry’s call to expand safer supply programDr. Bonnie Henry said in a report, B.C. needs to expand on its non-prescribed alternatives to the toxic, unregulated drug supply to save more lives.HealthJul 11
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Purdue Pharma asks for freeze of lawsuits after U.S. Supreme Court rulingThe U.S. Supreme Court ruled on June 27 that Purdue Pharma's bankruptcy settlement can not shield the Sacklers over their role in the nation's deadly opioid epidemic.U.S. NewsJul 9
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Overdose death comes day after Victoria changes first responder safety policyUnder the new policy, paramedics and firefighters won't respond to calls on the 900 block of Pandora Avenue without a police escort.HealthJul 17
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SRO fires, overdose calls are taking toll on crews: Vancouver Fire RescueAlready so far in 2024, crews have responded to 147 fires. Officials said more than 50 per cent of the fires are caused by “smoking materials.”FireJun 12
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‘Unfair’: Ontario city drops safe consumption bid over years-long delayWith no end in sight to the delay in supervised consumption site approvals, organizers have made the difficult decision to withdraw their application for the Barrie site.HealthJun 27
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U.S. Supreme Court rejects national opioid settlement with Purdue PharmaAfter deliberating more than six months, the justices in a 5-4 vote blocked an agreement hammered out with state and local governments and victims.CrimeJun 27
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Peterborough clinic’s safer-supply program reports drop in overdoses, drug useApproximately 86 per cent of individuals reported using less or no fentanyl after 12 months in the safe supply program based on data from May 2022 to December 2023.HealthJun 13
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Homeless deaths a failure of the system, say Montreal advocates, as memorial heldThat so many people are dying on the streets is a sign that governments have failed, advocates argue, saying there aren't enough services for the unhoused.CanadaJun 5