NDP MPP Jamie West says the Ford government voted against his private members bill to declare the opioid overdose crisis in Northern Ontario a public health emergency, and to take urgent action.

He says he’s disappointed that the Conservatives chose to continue to ignore the devastating impact this crisis is having on Northern families and communities.

A private members bill introduced in the spring by the Sudbury MPP Jamie West was debated Thursday.

It’s titled ”Preventing Overdoses in the North: More than just a statistic”.

“The motion called on the provincial government to take immediate action to prevent opioid addictions and overdoses in the north, to declare the opioid overdose crisis what it is, it’s a public health emergency,” he says.

The bill calls on the province to fund evidence-based health initiatives like overdose prevention sites, mental health care, harm reduction strategies, residential treatment, anti-stigma training, and awareness programs.

“In 2018, there were 1,473 opioid-related deaths in Ontario and in northern Ontario 141 opioid-related deaths were recorded,” West say.

He adds emergency room visits and hospitalizations across the north have also increased over the last year and are above the provincial average.

“I am urging this government to invest in services that will allow frontline health workers in the North to carry out life-saving, evidence-supported work that will save lives in our community,” says West.

The Nipissing Parry Sound Online Overdose Report shows that between May 20th, 2019 and the latest update on October 28th, there were 119 overdoses reported in the North Bay and Parry Sound District, including five deaths.

Check out the online overdose report HERE

 

(Photo submitted: Sudbury MPP Jamie West and Marion Quigley, Outgoing Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Mental Health Association Sudbury/Manitoulin)

Filed under: Nipissing Parry Sound Online Overdose Report, Northern Ontario, opioid crisis