Saskatoon struggling with hundreds of overdoses in past month as city, province consider solutions
9 overdose-suspected deaths in Saskatoon since March 1, says public safety agency
Saskatoon and various provincial bodies are grappling with an overdose crisis that has overwhelmed front-line responders and community organizations aiding those in need.
The Saskatoon Fire Department responded to 435 overdose incidents in the city from March 1 to 18, according to Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) president Marlo Pritchard. He said the number of calls have recently reduced but still remain above the 2024 average.
Pritchard said there have been nine suspected overdose deaths in Saskatoon since March 1.
"One death is way too many," Pritchard said during a news conference Tuesday afternoon.
On March 12, the Saskatchewan government announced it would activate its Provincial Emergency Operations Centre, led by the SPSA, in response to the "toxic drug crisis" in Saskatoon.
The news conference was meant to provide an update to how the city is managing the crisis. Pritchard spoke about the ongoing work — like emergency responders adjusting staffing to manage resources and Saskatchewan's health ministry and health association distributing take-home naloxone kits in the city.
Pritchard said the Saskatchewan Health ministry also started a digital and printed marketing campaign on the drug alert system. The Ministry of Health is also expected to temporarily provide up to four paramedics to the Saskatoon Fire Department.
Pritchard said the emergency operations centre's objectives are to establish a way for those responding to the crisis to better communicate and to better collect data to improve its response.
Kayla DeMong, the executive director of Prairie Harm Reduction, said those changes are not enough.
"Do what you're supposed to do as the people governing this province, you are responsible to take care of all your citizens," she said. "It is not your job to decide that a group of people just deserve to die and don't require the investment that they're entitled to under a democratic government."
She said the distribution of naloxone is not a new promise.
DeMong approved of adding relief staff for Saskatoon Fire Department, but said those same resources aren't being given to community organizations like Prairie Harm.
"Our staff are in a situation, and I've said this many times, where they do nothing all day but reverse overdoses and that is a lot of pressure on them and a lot of trauma," DeMong said.
"Without additional resources on site, we aren't able to change our response."
Prairie Harm Reduction operates Saskatoon's only supervised consumption site. Last week, it announced that site would close until the end of the month to give reprieve to exhausted staff.
The Saskatoon Public Library, which has complained in the past about a lack of "critical social and health infrastructure," also temporarily closed the doors to two branches.
"This has a cascading impact on everyone else and the system has been stressed," said Saskatoon Mayor Cynthia Block.
Block pointed to a long-term solution: housing. She said city council has approved 256 affordable housing units in the past six months, about 70 per cent of which have wraparound supports.
Block said council has also approved a study for a navigational hub, meant to be a one-stop shop to help people experiencing homelessness with services.
When asked about how studies will help the crisis, she said the study for the hub is using federal dollars. She said that addressing homelessness will take political will to get the housing units built soon and "to make sure those wraparound supports are in place."
"As Mr. Pritchard has mentioned, the importance of recovery is foundational to that way forward as well. But it's housing, we need to focus steely on that."
A representative with Saskatoon Police Service said 25 people have been arrested for fentanyl trafficking or related offences since the rise in overdoses began and are continuing to investigate.
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With files from Halyna Mihalik