Three overdose deaths in Edmonton park prompt renewed calls for emergency help

The deaths of three men in a downtown park on Friday has renewed calls for immediate action to deal with a "raging" overdose crisis that is killing people at an unprecedented rate.

Boyle Street Community Services is still waiting for confirmation from the coroner but it's believed the men died from drug overdoses, executive director Jordan Reiniger said Tuesday.

"I don't think we have ever experienced it to be worse than it is right now," Reiniger said. "It's a scary time for everybody."

Boyle Street team members in Kinistinâw Park administered Naloxone, an overdose reversal medication, to the men. 

"It's gut-wrenching," Reiniger said. "Our teams on the front line are dealing with this on a daily basis."

The spike in overdose deaths has rocked the city's homeless population and prompted Boyle Street to call on the Edmonton Police Service, Alberta Health Services and Alberta Health to work with them.

"For COVID-19 we have a really robust response, as we rightly should," Reiniger said. "The opioid crisis and the overdose crisis is raging, it's getting worse. And there is no co-ordinated robust emergency response plan. We need to respond as a community now."

At least one of the men had used Boyle Street outreach services before, he said.

Reiniger wants to see more outreach support to address immediate needs but also wants to work toward long-term solutions. 

"I think the most significant one is addressing homelessness," he said. "That way people aren't out on the street and using [drugs] alone."

• Edmonton councillor wants Ottawa to declare opioid crisis a national emergency
• Her brothers died together from overdoses. A guitar comforts this Edmonton woman in her grief

According to Alberta Health numbers provided by Boyle Street, there were 23 overdose deaths in Edmonton in January 2020. In January 2021 there were 43.

Reiniger was unable to recall another situation where three people overdosed at one time in the same place.

"It's a really gruesome, difficult thing," he said. "That for us was the final straw."

There were discussions on Friday night with some government officials who committed to meet soon, Reiniger said.

• Boyle Street supervised consumption site closing permanently
• Central Alberta mother who lost son to overdose pleads for more recovery options

Justin Marshall, a spokesperson for Jason Luan, the minister of mental health and addictions, sent condolences to the families of the men who died and confirmed discussions about a response were ongoing. 

"We are committed to a high quality and easily accessible system of care for both mental health and addiction that includes a full continuum of supports, including services to reduce harm," Marshall said Tuesday in an email. 

Samantha Waskhat said she was in the park near 96th Street and 103rd Avenue on Friday and was shaken by the deaths. 

"I thought they were sleeping," she said. "Then the police officers walked by and they were doing CPR and stuff. It's bad. Everything is bad out there."

She said she didn't know the men but wishes she could have done more.

With files from Paige Parsons