In an effort to prevent a climb in overdose deaths across Western Canada, the federal government is providing over $20 million in funding to support 42 initiatives.
Federal Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Carolyn Bennett says support, empathy, and understanding will save more lives than judgement or criminalization. With that in mind, access to prevention, harm reduction, and treatment services will be bolstered in Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba and British Columbia with the funding. Two of the 42 projects are in Saskatchewan, and both of them are based in Regina. The APSS Opioid Overdose Prevention Program will receive $256,000 to reduce and prevent overdoses for Indigenous people, and the Saskatchewan Health Authority will receive $1.7 million over 27 months to provide treatment and access to care through implementing the Complex Chronic Pain Service. The target population of the CCPS is people living with chronic pain who are at risk of or are currently experiencing an opioid dependency or an opioid use disorder.
In 2022, Saskatchewan reached a new record for overdose deaths at 421, up from 410 in 2021. In Saskatoon and Regina however, the numbers seemed to have decreased in 2022. There were 68 confirmed overdoses in Saskatoon last year, compared to 114 in 2021. In Regina, there were 118 confirmed drug overdoses last year, compared to 197 in 2021.
