Opioid poisoning deaths increase by 25% in Alberta, new data shows

The rate of opioid poisoning deaths is climbing in Alberta – especially in Edmonton and Lethbridge. 

Since the start of the year, 1,411 Albertans have died of drug poisoning deaths, including 136 in the month of September, according to new data from the province's substance use surveillance system.

The year-to-date number of deaths surpassed the 1,124 fatalities seen at the same time last year, marking a 25 per cent increase from last year's figures. 

There were 459 deaths from July to September, an increase from 315 at the same time last year. 

Lethbridge recorded 117 deaths per 100,000 people in September, the highest-recorded opioid poisoning death rate among cities in the province. Edmonton comes in second place with 66.3 people per 100,000 residents.

Critics say the increase shows the policies of the Alberta government, which has prioritized a recovery-oriented model of care and steers away from harm reduction policies, aren't working.

"These are the results of the failed Alberta model that our current government is insisting on, which precludes the harm reduction interventions that we need to keep people who use drugs safe and alive," said Rebecca Haines-Saah, an associate professor at the University of Calgary's Cumming School of Medicine.

The Opposition NDP and community advocates have repeatedly called for the United Conservative Party to expand access to harm reduction services such as safe consumption and overdose prevention sites. 

The UCP ended funding for ARCHES, Canada's busiest safe consumption site based in Lethbridge, in 2020. 

The supervised consumption site at Boyle Street Community Centre in Edmonton closed its doors in April 2021.

Deaths in public spaces are up

According to data from the province's substance-use surveillance system, deaths in public spaces account for 43 per cent of all opioid poisoning deaths from July to September, up from the 23 per cent reported in the same period last year.

Lina Meadows, acting director of programs at Boyle Street Community Services, says the province's figure is similar to the number of deaths in public spaces the Boyle Street community is seeing.

"Around 80 per cent of the folks that we work with that are dying, are dying in public spaces, which is horrifying," Meadows said to CBC News.

Meadows proposes that outreach teams who could provide first-aid services and naloxone kits could be a possible solution to combat the deaths in public spaces.

"People are dying on bus stop benches or sidewalks because nobody cared to check on them," she said. 

The province's response

The UCP government says its focus is on recovery-based solutions. 

In a statement to Radio-Canada on Monday, Hunter Baril, press secretary for Mental Health and Addiction Minister Dan Williams, said the UCP added more than 10,000 addiction treatment spaces since 2019, and removed fees for publicly funded treatment like the $40-per-day user fee that was in place under the NDP.

"Every life lost from the deadly disease of addiction is a tragedy, and it reinforces our focus on making recovery possible for every Albertan," Baril said.

So far, two out of 11 promised recovery communities have opened, according to Baril. More are expected to open their doors next year.

The province says it expanded the virtual opioid dependency program to ensure same-day treatment is available for people across Alberta.