The overdose crisis in Ontario is often stereotyped as an “opioid injection” crisis. However, data show that significant numbers of overdoses are also being driven by stimulant drug use and inhalation drug use.
Just like across Canada, the number of overdoses continues to climb in Alberta because of a toxic drug supply, worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic that has interrupted the supply of drugs. In Alberta, drug toxicity deaths have been devastating to people with lived or living experience of substance use, as well as their friends and families. In the province alone, we have seen 1,334 fatal overdoses in 2020. We mourn each person lost.
In 2020, Health Canada started to hold consultation meetings with key stakeholders to review federal regulations governing overdose prevention sites (OPS) and supervised consumption sites (SCS). While multiple recommendations and suggestions were brought forward, one that was repeatedly identified by people who use drugs and other stakeholders as being of top concern was the inability to split and share drugs within OPS/SCS settings.
Launched in 2019, the Connecting with Care films profile innovative models of hepatitis C care for people who use drugs in Toronto, Montreal and Ahtahkakoop First Nation. These films were a partnership between the International Network on Health and Hepatitis in Substance Users (INHSU), the Canadian Network on Hepatitis C (CanHepC) and CATIE. In a recent webinar, we reconnected with the people in these films to learn how they have adapted and responded to the needs of their community during COVID-19. Central to these films was the impact of people with lived experience in planning and delivering harm reduction and...
“I guess the term ‘quick reference’ is standing out in my mind, like something that’s very, very fast. Because if it’s too wordy I’m not going to have any time ─ something that is like a frequently asked questions kind of thing. A very quick and easy way to get the answer immediately, you know.” – frontline harm reduction worker in Ontario When frontline harm reduction staff were asked to describe the most effective resources to support them in their work with people who use drugs, they were clear about what they needed. The Best Practice Recommendations for Canadian Harm...
At the last Canadian Liver Meeting in 2020, there was a palpable sense of optimism about the prospect of eliminating hepatitis C in Canada. Researchers, service providers and community members launched a blueprint outlining our collective goals and possible strategies, and we shared evidence from research and practice to guide policy and programs. Then the COVID-19 pandemic happened. It had an enormous impact on our sector, with services scaled back, researchers and clinicians shifted to the COVID-19 response, and the communities most affected by hepatitis C also facing increased risks from COVID-19 and a growing overdose crisis.
