Authorities warn of bad batch after two fatalities

Official warns of possible ‘bad bunch’ of drugs and urges caution for users

The provincial coroner is joining Regina police in urging for caution and care after a spike in overdoses in the city — two of which were fatal.

Following a preliminary investigation, the Saskatchewan Coroners Service is attributing the fatal overdoses in Regina this month to a combination of fentanyl and methamphetamine. Regina police are also aware of 67 non-fatal overdoses this year, the provincial justice ministry said.

“As soon as we found out there were some deaths, we wanted to make sure we could get a handle on this quickly and warn the public if there was a need,” chief coroner Clive Weighill told reporters Friday in Saskatoon.

“We’re concerned that it’s a bad bunch of drugs that’s in there right now ... And we want to warn the people of Regina and probably the surrounding area to be careful what you’re buying.”

In addition to fentanyl and meth, Weighill said a sedative called etizolam has also been introduced in Regina.

The provincial coroner encouraged anyone who could be in the proximity of an overdose to find a free take-home naloxone kit from a Saskatchewan Health Authority centre or outreach organization. Naloxone reverses the effects of an opioid overdose temporarily, restoring breathing in a few minutes. Naloxone treatment itself does not replace the need to seek immediate medical attention, however. People are still urged to call 911 immediately if an overdose is suspected.

Preliminary figures from the coroner’s office show that, in 2019, there were 15 deaths in Regina attributed to fentanyl overdoses — more than half of the 27 fatal fentanyl overdoses recorded provincewide.

In recent years, there have been similar spikes in fatal overdoses in Saskatoon, most notably in March 2018 when four people died.

Both the deaths in the Queen City this year remain under investigation by the coroner and Regina police.

Officers responded to the first suspected overdose death on Feb. 14 around 9:30 p.m. after receiving a report of an unresponsive person in the 300 block of Mccarthy Boulevard. Upon arrival, emergency crews discovered the body of a 28-year-old man. Around five hours later, officers went to a residence in the 3900 block of 2nd Avenue to assist other emergency responders after a report of a possible drug overdose. A 37-year-old woman was found dead.

“Even if people are not making good choices for themselves, others around them should be aware of the higher-than-usual potential for a drug overdose and have a safety plan,” police said.

The Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act protects anyone who is experiencing or witnessing a drug overdose from charges for possession of a controlled substance when they call 911.

According to a report released last year from a national advisory committee studying the epidemic of opioid overdoses, close to 14,000 Canadians, including more than 300 in Saskatchewan, were killed by opioids between 2016 and the first six months of 2019. Over that same time period, more than 17,000 people, including almost 900 in Saskatchewan, were hospitalized for opioid-related poisoning.

According to the report, there were 83 opioid-related deaths in Saskatchewan in 2016 (76 of which were deemed accidental), 85 in 2017 (74 of which were classified as accidental), a leap to 116 in 2018 (103 were deemed accidental) and 31 between January and June of 2019 (all of which were classified as accidental).

In the years covered in the report, opioid-related hospitalizations peaked in 2016 with 280 cases (172 of which were classified as accidental), dropping to 255 in 2017 (150 were deemed accidental) and 247 in 2018 (149 of which were deemed accidental). In the first six months of 2019, there were 61 hospitalizations (24 of which were classified as accidental).

Opioids were responsible for 103 of the 124 confirmed accidental overdose deaths recorded by the provincial coroner in 2018. Between Jan. 1 and Sept. 16 of this year, there were 43 confirmed accidental overdose deaths, 38 of which were attributed to opioids.