MAYORS CAN FIGHT CRISIS
When the mayors representing Canada’s big cities get together, one of the central topics is prying more money out of Ottawa and their respective premiers for infrastructure projects. This time, Mayor Naheed Nenshi says he believes Canada’s opioid crisis will occupy a lot of the discussion — as well it should.
The fentanyl scourge continues to expand, with little success at curbing the deaths, many of them suffered by people who unknowingly took the potent drug with other substances.
“Clearly we’re in a crisis ... we’ve got to be able to figure out how to do this,” said Nenshi of the drug curse that killed 338 Albertans in the first nine months of 2016 alone — 193 of the deaths connected to fentanyl.
The mayors have a role to play in stemming the death toll, especially in addressing factors that can play a role in addiction, such as housing and poverty.
When they meet next week, the civic leaders can amplify the growing calls for senior governments to do more to address the crisis. There is a lot of hand-wringing and expressions of concern on the part of provincial and federal politicians, but certainly not a commitment to provide the scale of drug addiction treatment and other assistance commensurate with the challenge.
Health Minister Sarah Hoffman, for instance, has cited the province’s weak finances for crimping its ability to fund the number of beds needed to care for Albertans afflicted by addictions. When the NDP is spending almost $9 million to promote its controversial carbon levy — a tax that isn’t reliant on public support — such an excuse rings hollow.
Governments — all three of them — should do more. The city, for instance, can ensure the antidote Narcan, otherwise known as naloxone, is available to all first responders. It’s reported that police officers assigned to drug and property crime duties have the life-saving kits, but some officers who patrol the streets have yet to receive them. Police work is unpredictable, and it would be a tragedy if a troubled Calgarian were to die for want of a supply of naloxone.
Efforts to address the underpinnings of drug use and addiction will take time — even the opening of new treatment beds. At the very least, let’s ensure naloxone is readily accessible to those whose occupations are likely to bring them into contact with people in need.
And when Nenshi and the other leaders of Canada’s largest cities meet next week, let’s encourage them to bring continued attention to this health crisis.
Lives depend on it.