The City of Saskatoon has been dealing with numerous instances of drug overdoses this year, and another recent spike has organizations sounding the alarm.
“When you walk around and you talk to people, all you can see is the grief and it’s grief that just keeps going; there’s been no break from it,” said Prairie Harm Reduction executive director Kayla Demong.
The Ministry of Health released an overdose alert for the city, stating the “Saskatoon Fire Department have responded to 84 suspected overdoses since August 17” with “many cases requiring multiple doses of naloxone.”
The alert goes on to say, “Prairie Harm Reduction have detected Carfentanyl in one test on August 20, which may have been linked to increases in overdoses and multiple reported fatalities in the community.”
Saskatoon Deputy fire Chief Rob Hogan says crews are responding to between nine and 12 overdoses in a single 24-hour shift, taking its toll on resources.
“I think we are in an epidemic,” Hogan said. “If you look at the numbers, we’re well over what we were last year at this time.”
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Saskatoon police are aware of the presence of carfentanyl in the community. In a statement, police say the drug unit continues its efforts to target drug traffickers in our city in what can be lengthy, complex investigations.
Demong says the days do not get any easier, adding drug poisonings now seem to be the new normal.
“Last Monday, we lost the 20th person to an overdose that’s related to our services … I’ve worked here for almost 13 years and I’ve worked with him the whole time,” said Demong.
Prairie Harm, the city’s only safe consumption site, had to temporarily close its doors earlier this year due to staff trauma experienced during previous overdose crises. Demong added the combination of drugs has made the situation more complicated and speaks to the uncertainty and unpredictability of the drugs running through the city.
Demong continues to advocate for what she calls a lack of support for a spectrum of care.
“We need the frontline services to be well supported because that’s where people end up first,” said Demong. “We have more homelessness than we’ve had before, we have higher incidences of mental health need, we are having more overdoses than we’ve ever seen, and we’ve had more deaths, and we really need [governments] to recognize that it’s their responsibility to care for everyone in this province, not just some people.”
Hogan said the partnerships between Fire and community-based organizations are pivotal in making change in the city.
“Probably one of the biggest things that we do is we work with our Emergency Management Operations department and we create an emergency operations centre, and that brings everyone together.”
And in the community’s time of need, Demong said it’s the people of Saskatoon who are standing up and making a difference.
“We consistently see this in our province, where despite the decisions our governments are making, the people of Saskatchewan show up, and they’re interested and they keep listening and it’s their support that keeps us running.”
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