Saskatchewan is on pace to post the worst ever year for drug overdose deaths, with methamphetamine and fentanyl linked to record numbers of suspected and confirmed overdose deaths.
The Saskatchewan Coroners/ Service released new data on suspected and confirmed drug toxicity deaths this week. The confirmed drug toxicity death statistics are accurate to October 26, while the suspected drug toxicity deaths are accurate as of Tuesday.
The difference between confirmed and suspected drug death data is whether investigations have been completed.
The data shows that as of Oct. 26, there had been 122 confirmed overdose deaths in the province — all but eight accidents.
Meanwhile, there are 201 suspected drug overdose deaths still under investigation. If those suspected drug deaths are later confirmed, the number of overdose deaths in Saskatchewan for 2020 will be 323, almost double the record total of 171 seen in 2018.
Even the current number of confirmed drug overdose deaths would be the third-highest in the last ten years, with one month of the calendar year and 201 suspected drug overdose death investigations to do.
The data also confirms what frontline organizations have been saying — that methamphetamine is increasingly a concern on Saskatchewan’s streets. The 2020 data, though, also shows a marked increase in the number of opioid deaths related to fentanyl.
Fentanyl and its derivatives accounted for 54 accidental overdoses in 2019 (41 from fentanyl, four from carfentanyl and 10 from acetyl fentanyl).
So far this year, though, 50 accidental overdoses have been linked to fentanyl alone, with five linked to carfentanyl, 43 to acetyl fentanyl and one to furanyl fentanyl — for a total of 99
While fentanyl has prescribed uses in medicine, acetyl fentanyl has never been licensed for medical use and has only been sold as a designer drug. It’s been shown to be 15 times more potent than morphine.
The majority of those overdose deaths have been in Regina. The city has seen 35 deaths linked to fentanyl, four to carfentanyl, 29 to acetyl fentanyl and the province’s only furanyl fentanyl death.
Regina has seen 58 of the province’s drug overdose deaths, well ahead of Saskatoon (24) and Prince Albert (five). The remaining overdose deaths have occurred in a combined 27 communities across the province.
There have only been a pair of confirmed fentanyl-related deaths in Prince Albert this year, one each of fentanyl and acetyl fentanyl.
The coroners’ service also reported rising numbers of cases where methamphetamine was a factor. As of Oct. 26, 42 of the province’s confirmed drug overdose deaths have been from meth, approaching the annual high of 47 recorded in 2018.
Of this year’s 42 confirmed overdose deaths where meth was a factor, 37 also involved other drugs.
Age and race data shows that overdose deaths have disproportionately been in status and non-status First Nations residents and were more common in men than in women.
First Nations people made up 53 per cent of all confirmed accidental overdose deaths linked to opioids, despite only making up about 11 per cent of the province’s population, according to the latest census data from Statistics Canada.
In terms of ages, three women under the age of 19 but only one man in the same age group have been identified amongst confirmed opioid deaths so far this year. The rest of the deaths among women were evenly split amongst five age groups, ranging from age 20 to 69.
Among men, though, 17 people in their 40s and 16 in their 20s have been found to have died from an accidental opioid overdose, with deaths across all age groups, including in the 80-plus range.
The majority of deaths, across both age groups, have occurred in the 20-50-year old age range.
“This is a major health crisis that is not getting any sort of attention from the province,” said Prairie Harm Reduction executive director Jason Mercredi.
“When you see the overdose rates skyrocketing like they are and the lack of leadership we’re getting from health on this file — at this point we’re really desperate for a champion from government to champion the overdose crisis.”
He said frontline groups are asking for transparency and real-time overdose reporting, not just of deaths, but of overdoses in general so the public can see how big the problem is. While the numbers so far show areas of concern in the province’s two biggest cities, Mercredi expects that as the rest of the death investigations wrap up, case counts will spike across Saskatchewan.
“This is hitting every demographic we have in the province,” he said.
“It’s one of the leading causes of death in Saskatchewan, yet we haven’t had any real government action on it.”
Prairie Harm Reduction isn’t the only organization to flag a spike in overdose cases. Paramedic services in Regina, Prince Albert and Saskatoon have pointed to increases in drug overdose calls at various points this year, and the Canadian Mental Health Association told the Herald last week that it is seeing increases in anxiety, depression, addiction and substance use problems as people try to self-medicate for the anxiety they’re feeling and the feeling of a lack of control.
The organization launched a free, online therapy program nationwide called BounceBack to help address the rising need for mental health care.
This is the second time a release of overdose data has raised alarm bells. In August, the province was already on pace for a record year. When that was reported, then-health minister Jim Reiter said the numbers were concerning.
“Obviously the trend line is going in the wrong direction,” he said.
Asked if the numbers would prompt new action, Reiter highlighted the $33 million overall increase in mental health and addictions spending in the latest provincial budget, including funds for specialized methamphetamine treatment beds in Estevan. He said those programs will take time to implement.
Since then, Saskatchewan held a provincial election.
While the throne speech following the Saskatchewan Party’s re-election did not include any specific new spending promises to tackle addictions or mental health, it did announce the creation of a new portfolio for a cabinet minister. The Rural and Remote Health Minister was, for the first time, given the specific responsibility of overseeing addictions and mental health programming in the province.
That minister is Everett Hindley, who is a new cabinet minister but a familiar face in Saskatchewan politics. Hindley served as Brad Wall’s executive assistance before replacing Wall as MLA for Swift Current in 2018.
The throne speech also highlighted the government’s $435 investment in mental health and addictions services in the most recent budget, 7.5 per cent of the entire health budget.
That funding, in addition to the meth treatment centre in Estevan, helped to create new detox beds in Regina, Saskatoon, Moose Jaw, Prince Albert and North Battleford.
It also highlighted a plan to train a mental health first responder in each of the province’s 744 schools.
The province might be able to access federal support. It previously received more than $15 million in mental health and addictions programs in Saskatchewan since April 2018 and is set to spend more than $60 million by 2022 under a five-year bilateral agreement, according to the StarPhoenix. Monday’s economic update also included a further $66 million, including $21 million in 2020-21 to support Canadians living with addiction.
Speaking to the Herald in January, NDP leader Ryan Meili called for a strategy to address rising concerns about methamphetamine use.
“It’s leading to more crime, it’s leading to more pressure on our emergency rooms,” he said.
“We absolutely need a strategy to address it, and that includes making sure that those drugs are off the streets, but also making sure that anyone who’s struggling with addiction or at risk is getting the support they need early on.”
The NDP’s platform included separate emergency rooms for mental health and addictions to take the pressure off of emergency staff and give patients access to better, more immediate care.
“We have very little in terms of availability of addictions beds and long-term support. We also see these folks coming to emergency rooms that aren’t prepared to help them,” said Meili.
Meili has since spoken about tackling addictions, poverty and mental health in response to concerns from police forces, including in Prince Albert, that increased drug use is driving property and violent crime rates to also spike.
Last November the province’s first rapid access to addictions medicine (RAAM) clinic opened, providing quick access to specialized addictions treatment by a multi-disciplinary team made up of doctors, nurses and addictions counsellors to help people begin treatment. It connects individuals to services including ongoing treatments, mental health care and other community programs.
One problem the clinic hopes to help solve is the lack of care available when people need it.
It’s clear to those on the frontlines, though, that more needs to be done.
“Anytime we’ve brought up overdoses and overdose deaths, all we’re hearing about is past investments, and I think we’re all kind of sick of hearing about past investments,” Mercredi said
“We want to know what steps are being taken now to keep people from dying, not what’s been done in the past.”
He called for the province to hold a press conference next week to clearly communicate what the plan is moving forward. He said not a single press conference has been helping to address the overdose crisis, even as sometimes daily press conferences were held about COVID-19.
Outside of trauma and mental health issues, the province is also dealing with a tainted drug supply, Mercredi said.
“We think the province needs to be much more aggressive in communicating its plan to the province but then also funding harm reduction,” he said.
“The way it is now, nobody knows which way it should e going because we don’t have any leadership. It’s left to (police services) and Prairie Harm Reduction to be advocating for any plan to take place, or service delivery. We don’t see actionable items coming out of the province.”
Mercredi said it’s not just a Saskatoon or Regina problem and needs something greater than just a Saskatoon or Regina solution.
“I think they need to take a provincial approach and get an overdose plan in place so everybody’s marching to the beat of the drum and we can start to see success markers.”
