Opioid-related deaths in Sarnia-Lambton continue to rise at an alarming rate.
There were 15 confirmed deaths among Lambton residents in the first half of this year, compared to 13 for all of 2018, according to Lambton Public Health's November Opioid Surveillance Bulletin.
The bulletin also shows a spike in the number of opioid overdose-related emergency department visits and EMS calls in October.
The opioid crisis was the subject of heated debate in the House of Commons Wednesday morning.
Sarnia-Lambton MP and Opposition Shadow Health Minister Marilyn Gladu accused the Liberal government of mishandling the crisis.
"12,0000 Canadians have died from the opioid crisis due to this Liberal inaction. Fentanyl continues to pour into our country from China, [and] while places like the US have put controls in place, Canada is nowhere on this file. So what is the government going to do to stop the illicit importation of fentanyl into Canada?"
Federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu fired back with a terse response, saying the Liberals are focusing on recovery efforts and saving lives.
"It's really great to hear the member opposite, you know, wake up to the crisis that opioid overdoses presented our country for well over 10 years. Mr. Speaker, I come from the world of drug policy and we know on this side that in fact, we need to treat this situation as a health crisis, that's what we've been doing over the last four years, Mr. Speaker, we've been saving lives."
During the first half of this year, there were 780 deaths in Ontario and over 8,700 opioid-related emergency department visits.
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