BRANTFORD -- A Brantford woman is putting names and faces to the deadly opioid crisis that continues to worsen in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dawn Girard lost two brothers to overdoses over the span of three years.

"Their lives, they had so much going for them and they were good human beings and they had a family and they had their kids," she said.

Her brothers, Harold and Michael Saddler, both struggled with addiction. Girard said they often used alone and ultimately died alone.

"He was found in a dirt basement passed and nobody was with him," she said.

Michael died in March of last year; Harold died three years earlier.

"I know Mike had been struggling since Harold had passed," Girard said.

Many users have found the pandemic difficult.

"The numbers have shown that overdoses have gone way up since COVID has started," said Randy Roberts with the Brantford Substance Users Network.

A report by the province's chief coroner showed there was a 25 per cent increase in suspected drug-related deaths between March and May of 2020, compared to the monthly median reported in 2019.

Waterloo regional police responded to more than 1,300 overdose calls last year.

"Ninety-eight overdose deaths in 2020, a 55 per cent increase from 2018," Chief Bryan Larkin said. "Along with 44 naloxone deployments where we were able to save lives."
But, naloxone only works if someone is there to administer it.

"People are struggling, they're really struggling," Girard said. "Being alone is really affecting their mental health as well. There's a lot more going on here than just the pandemic."
Girard is advocating for a safe supply for users and safe consumption sites.