'Expecting the worst' as number of overdoses climbs: Brandon harm reduction worker

Every time Solange Machado reaches for her phone, she worries she'll have a text or call about another overdose death in Brandon.

"It's been scary out there," says the Brandon co-ordinator for the Manitoba Harm Reduction Network. "We've seen a lot of overdoses. Some of them revive, some of them not."

Machado estimates there has been around one overdose death a week recently in the city. In the past, she would hear of around one overdose death a month — if that. 

The numbers are hard to track locally, so she largely relies on anecdotal reports of drug-related deaths. 

"Word spreads very quickly in the community. We hear of something and then confirm it," Machado said. "We've definitely seen an increase in this past month."

While there are no specific overdose death numbers for Brandon, the province does track deaths across Manitoba.

In 2023, the chief medical examiner reported 391 suspected overdose deaths from January to November (December data is not available yet). In 2022, 418 suspected overdose deaths were reported.

Machado says right now substances are unpredictable, and there's a general unease because people do not know what's in their drugs and there's no good way to check.

One of the biggest concerns is opioids like fentanyl showing up in other drugs.

"We're preparing for bad things to happen, which is horrible," Machado said. "The state that we're living in … we're expecting the worst."

She says the rise in overdoses and drug-related deaths is complex — a lack of housing and resources, the lack of a safe consumption site in the city and difficulty accessing services are all part of the issue.

There's sadness and fear in the community as people wonder who may die next, she said.

"We've seen back-to-back overdose deaths," Machado said. "There's a cloud over downtown right now where people are feeling this compounding grief, and the grief is never-ending."

Police see rise in substance-related crimes

Brandon Police Service public information officer Sgt. Dana McCallum says the city is seeing a rise in substance-related calls. 

Since the behaviour of people on drugs can be unpredictable, "our officers never know what's going to happen in a situation when someone is under the influence of drugs," McCallum said.

"Social disorder" calls — which can involve issues around liquor, disturbances, fights, suspicious people and noise complaints — have been on the rise since 2020, she said.

This January, there were 425 such calls.

In January 2020, there were 335 — and the number has climbed every year since then.

That increase has come hand-in-hand with a rising trend in assaults against officers, McCallum said, which typically involve officers being kicked, punched or spat on.

There were 26 of those incidents in 2023, she said — the same number as in 2022, but up from 14 in 2021.

There were 15 assault incidents in 2020 and 12 the year before that.

There's also been an increase in fentanyl-related possession charges, McCallum says, rising five per cent in 2022-23 over the previous year. 

Sobering centre and targeted policing

Brandon police now have a crime support and suppression unit that's targeting drug-related calls and organized crime groups.

The goal is to try to stop the supply from coming into Brandon, McCallum said.

The city is also continuing to work on opening a sobering centre, which received provincial funding in 2021.

Shannon Saltarelli, the City of Brandon's community housing and wellness co-ordinator, is leading the project for the city. The goal is to start construction this year, on the same site as a separate transitional housing project.

"We need a sobering centre done in a good way that helps to become part of the continuum of care for people," Saltarelli said.

"As we continue to see ... more deaths in our community, especially those that may have been from an overdose or substance abuse, we really start to see how people are falling through the cracks."

Antoinette Gravel-Ouellette, who is with Brandon's Community Wellness Collaborative, says her organization provides opportunities for people to discuss strategies centred on tackling core community issues. 

There's a growing awareness that resources and supports have to be adaptable to meet community needs, she said.

"We need to continually come together. We need to do this not in silence," said Gravel-Ouellette. "How we care for the least of us really shows the integrity of a community."

For now, Machado says people should use drug test strips that can test for multiple forms of fentanyl.

People can also carry naloxone  — which is used to reverse or reduce the effects of opioids — in case they encounter someone suffering an overdose.

"You can witness an overdose anywhere in the community," Machado said.