A new report says opioid-related deaths across the province have spiked dramatically since the start of the pandemic.
The report, by the Ontario Drug Policy Research Network, says in 2019 there were 1,517 opioid-related deaths across Ontario. In 2020, that number rose to 2,426, an increase of 62 per cent.
Mayor Mike Bradley told Sue Storr on CHOK (103.9FM/1070AM) Wednesday morning that Sarnia is not immune and that unfortunately, the province's opioid crisis has been placed on the back burner while dealing with COVID-19.
"It has skyrocketed, I mean that's pretty evident even in our community," said Bradley. "We've had loss of life, and I've read in communities like Sudbury, they've had more losses of life to opioids than they have to COVID."
Bradley said the impact the pandemic has had on the opioid crisis won't just disappear when the pandemic is over.
"In the year or two after, it's going to be the bigger struggle to deal with the social issues that have skyrocketed through this COVID crisis," he said. "The homelessness issue isn't going to go away, and if you look at that report, it points out that many of the deaths from opioids are occurring outside, people getting out of the shelter system, or occurring in some of the places where they've been given shelter. That's not just going to evaporate just because the community opens up again."
Lambton EMS responded to 223 opioid related calls in 2020, up from 69 in 2018.
Sarnia-Lambton recorded 23 related deaths from January to August last year, compared to 21 in all of 2019.
The Ontario Drug Policy Research Network report also indicated a rise in the prevalence of cocaine and methamphetamine.
Drug users are reminded that free naloxone kits are available at Lambton Public Health and at local pharmacies.