The north is outpacing the rest of the province in the number of opioid deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Patrick Nowak is the harm reduction coordinator for the Porcupine Health Unit.
“Northern Ontario health units, the rate of opioid-related deaths is increasing at a much higher rate in comparison to the rest of the province,” says Patrick Nowak, harm reduction coordinator for the Porcupine Health Unit.
Nowak doesn’t have data on whether income support grants from Ottawa are a factor. However, he says that contributing to it are the COVID-19 health and safety restrictions.
“These public health measures in all likelihood have disproportionately affected people who use drugs, other people who are already struggling with things like social isolation, mental health issues, substance use and other disparities in social determinants of health throughout the pandemic.”
Nowak cautions that there’s also an increase in the number of toxic substances mixed in with illicit drugs.
