Ontario mayors calls for decriminalization of drugs
Ontario's big-city mayors are calling for the decriminalization of controlled substances.
A tainted drug supply with more potent synthetic drugs like fentanyl and carfentanil resulted in about 2500 opioid-related deaths in Ontario last year.
"We have lost at least 60 individuals to overdose," said Sara Peddle, the executive director of the Busby Centre in Barrie, Ont.
Peddle and her teamwork first hand with those struggling with homelessness and addiction. She said overdoses are happening at an alarming rate every day.
"Between our outreach team and our shelter teams we have reversed over 17 overdoses between June 1 - June 9, said Peddle.
According to the Gilbert Centre and other outreach groups, the local overdose rates skyrocketing during the pandemic. They say for people unable or unwilling to access mental health services and support; punishment only sends them spiralling further out of control.
"We cannot get rid of drug use or addiction or the harms that come along with that by throwing people in jail," said Sarah Tilley, the Harm-Reduction Co-ordinator at Gilbert Centre.
According to the associate medical officer of Health for the Simcoe Muskoka, criminalizing people who use and possess drugs has made the opioid epidemic worse.
"Despite good intentions, it has not played out as hoped," said Dr. Lisa Simon, the Associate Medical Officer of Health at SMDHU.
The evidence has prompted Ontario's Big City Mayors to call for the decriminalization of drugs with more investment in treatment and counselling while police deal with drug production and trafficking.
"By decriminalizing simple possession and turning that into the public health response that allows the police to focus on catching the real bad guys; the ones who are producing and selling, in this case, poisoned drugs which are killing people through overdoses," said Jeff Lehman, the mayor of Barrie.
Orillia, Ont., mayor Steve Clarke agrees and points to successes of decriminalizing drugs in Europe. If adopted in Ontario or the country, he hopes it will save lives not just on the streets but throughout the community.
"The OPP, who is our policing agency, has recognized for a number of years that not all calls are calls for enforcement; they often can be addictions, they can be mental health," said Clarke.
According to the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, at least 133 people died of an overdose last year, and it's likely much higher with many overdose deaths going underreported.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.