KITCHENER -- Over the last two weeks, nine suspected opioid overdoses have been reported in Waterloo Region and for those on the front lines of the community’s opioid crisis, it’s nothing new.
The Waterloo Regional Police Service reported three deaths from suspected opioid overdoses on Saturday evening.
Officials told CTV News a 50-year-old man was found dead in Kitchener, a 19-year-old woman was located at a residence and taken to Cambridge Memorial Hospital where she was pronounced dead and a 21-year-old woman was found at a residence in Kitchener.
Front-line workers in the community say it’s the most vulnerable populations who are often the victims.
“It hurts obviously, yet we don’t have the space to mourn and grieve in an appropriate way because there are so many,” said Kourteney King, director of community development for the Sanguen Health Centre.
Drug strategy specialist, Michael Parkinson, with the regional crime prevention council, says 135 drug-related deaths have been reported so far this year, just 10 short of last year’s record high of 145.
“That’s about seven times the number who died on our roadways in Waterloo Region in all of last year,” said Parkinson.
He adds, in Ontario about one in six drug poisoning deaths are among people who lack stable housing.
Parkinson is calling for an urgent and proportional response, similar to the way officials respond to other important crises, like the pandemic.
Police are asking anyone using opioids to visit the Consumption & Treatment Services (CTS) at 150 Duke Street West in Kitchener, or stay with someone you trust when using opioids. CTS is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and more information can be found on the CTS website.
Police also remind users to keep naloxone on hand and know how to use it if needed.
