More action, less talk on opioid crisis: Sendzik
When it comes to Niagara’s opioid crisis, the time for political talk is over, says St. Catharines Mayor Walter Sendzik.
“We can’t have more meetings to set up more meetings,” said Sendzik. “In a way, this has caught us flat-footed and it’s time we stopped talking and started taking more actions that will have a real impact.”
Sendzik, speaking to The Standard Wednesday, was responding to recent data on opioid overdoses that show the problem in Niagara is becoming more acute.
On Monday, Niagara Health System reported that Niagara’s emergency rooms have seen a 65 per cent increase in the number of opioid overdose cases over last year.
That data followed the release last week’s Canadian Institute of Health Information, or CIHI, report on the rate of opioid overdoses in Canadian emergency rooms, and the number of hospitalizations — which does not include emergency department cases — due to overdoses.
According to the CIHI report, Niagara has the fourth highest per-capita rate of patients in emergency departments suffering from “opioid poisoning ” for 2016-17. The local hospitalization rate from opioid poisoning is higher than those for Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City and Ottawa.
The spread of the powerful opioid fentanyl — which is now commonly found in cocaine, methamphetamines and heroin — has been identified as the driver by the spike in overdoses.
Sendzik said while the deepening crises aren’t new, the political response has been comparatively slow. While he praised recently announced funding from Queen’s Park to improve harm reduction measures, he said all levels of government must get more aggressive on the issue.
“The problem is that here we are, a lower-tier government seeing this happen and we are really limited regarding what we can do to respond to it,” he said.
Sendzik said while the network of Niagara governments and agencies meeting to address the issue is necessary, he doesn’t think they have taken enough concrete action. He said he wants to see fewer meetings scheduled and more effort spent on harm reduction, law enforcement and education.
Sendzik met with Dr. Val Jaeger, Niagara’s medical officer of health, and newly appointed Niagara Regional Police Deputy Chief Bill Fordy to discuss the issue. He said he came out of the meeting hopeful that Niagara can make progress on combating the opioid crisis.
“The public health department is doing what it can and, I have to say, I was very impressed with Deputy Chief Fordy. He brings tremendous experience on this issue to Niagara, and he should be leading the charge.”
Fordy was sworn in as deputy in July. He saw the extent of the crisis and the impact of fentanyl during his previous posting as operational commander for the RCMP in the lower mainland district of British Columbia, the province considered ground zero for the opioid crisis.
“My approach here will be similar to what it was in B.C., which is to get ahead of this situation,” Fordy said after his swearing-in ceremony. “That involves education. I have always believed you cannot arrest your way out of some of the social problems we face, and education is going to be vital when dealing with a problem like fentanyl.”
Sendzik said he will meet with local firefighters to determine if they can carry the anti-overdose drug Naloxone. He also suggested the time has come to consider putting Naloxone into the hands of city employees like parks and recreation workers who may encounter someone suffering from an opioid overdose.
For more information on opioids, visit Niagara’s public health website at www.niagararegion.ca/health.