Opioids

• Drug alert issued for medetomidine in Saskatoon

  Saskatchewan's Ministry of Health has released another drug alert regarding medetomidine, a veterinary sedative not reactive to naloxone and increasingly found in opioids.

  Canada

  Jan 30
  
• Rising drug poisonings prompt rare B.C.-wide alert over medetomidine

  The BC Centre for Disease Control has issued a provincewide drug alert as poisonings rise, warning that medetomidine is increasingly present in the unregulated drug supply.

  Canada

  Jan 28
  
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• Alberta RCMP issue warning about opioid-laced drugs after teenager’s death

  RCMP are issuing a warning to Albertans about some counterfeit drugs that are laced with a potentially deadly dose of opioids that have been found in the province.

  Crime

  Jul 18, 2025
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• More than 2K died of opioids in Ontario last year as numbers trend downward: data

  More than 2,200 Ontarians died from opioids last year, a 15 per cent decrease from 2023, newly released data from the Office of the Chief Coroner shows.

  Health

  Jun 5, 2025
• Alberta opioid data shows drop in deaths, overdoses—but some are dying more than others

  While overdose rates have dropped amongst the middle-class, especially casual recreational users, the drug supply has become more dangerous for long-term addicts and the homeless.

  Health

  Feb 7, 2025
• New pain pill approved in U.S. designed to cut risk of addiction

  U.S. officials approved a new type of pain pill designed to eliminate the risks of addiction and overdose associated with opioid medications like Vicodin and OxyContin.

  Health

  Jan 31, 2025
• Class-action lawsuit targeting opioid manufacturers certified by B.C. Supreme Court

  B.C. can now proceed as a representative plaintiff on behalf of other Canadian governments with the litigation aimed at recovering the costs of treating opioid-related diseases.

  Health

  Jan 22, 2025
• Ontario does not have ‘effective processes’ to handle opioid crisis, AG finds

  Ontario's auditor general was critical of the province's opioid addiction strategy, suggesting it was uncoordinated and didn't have proper processes in place.

  Politics

  Dec 3, 2024
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• Vet medication known on the street as ‘tranq’ leads to more overdose deaths in Yukon

  Yukon government officials said a key concern is the increasing presence of xylazine, a veterinary tranquilizer that has been detected in significant quantities in the deaths.

  Health

  Oct 12, 2024
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• Alberta records lowest single-month opioid death total in 4 years

  Provincial data shows Alberta recently had its lowest monthly opioid death total since April 2020. According to its report, 90 people died from opioid-related causes this April.

  Health

  Jul 19, 2024