Good Samaritan law credited with increase in overdose calls, police say

The number of overdose calls Waterloo regional police and paramedics have responded to has increased over the last year compared to 2018.

Police believe that's partly because people are aware of the legal protections for those who witness an overdose and call 911.

Staff Sgt. Brenna Bonn, who works in the drugs and firearms unit, credits the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act with making people feel more comfortable to report an overdose.

"More people are calling 911 because of the protection under the act," said Bonn.

The federal law came into effect in 2017 and offers immunity for simple possession charges for anyone calling 911 to report an overdose.

Police and paramedics responded to 1,177 non-fatal overdoses in 2019, compared with 907 in 2018.

Before that point, the number of collective police and EMS overdose calls weren't tracked, but the number of calls police responded to was 580, according to the police service.

Overdose deaths

In 2017, fatal overdoses totalled 71. That number dropped to 54 in 2018 and then rose to 62 in 2019.

Bonn says the use of naloxone has been important in preventing overdose deaths.

"Naloxone is being administered prior to paramedics or police arriving at a call for an overdose," said Bonn.

Chris Steingart, the executive director and founder of Sanguen Health Centre, agrees the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act could be contributing to more overdose calls to police and paramedics, while naloxone is helping prevent overdose deaths.

Steingart helps run the consumption and treatment site in Kitchener.

"We've worked really hard to try to get naloxone in the hands of people who are at risk of overdose and who are likely to be involved with someone and be there when someone's overdosing, so that person doesn't die," said Steingart.

Law has limits: expert

Marie-Eve Sylvestre, a law professor and addictions researcher at the University of Ottawa, says even though the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act grants amnesty for possession charges, the law has its limits.

She points out people can be charged on other counts if they're on site when police arrive. For example, if a person who made a 911 call has an outstanding warrant, that does not preclude police from arresting them.

"The very fact of being in contact with the police may trigger an intervention for other reasons," said Sylvestre.

Sylvestre recommends Waterloo region follow the lead of other cities, such as Vancouver, in ensuring paramedics are mainly responding to overdose calls.  

Vancouver police are not dispatched to opioid overdose calls as the immediate first responder.

'Police should not be first responders'

According to the numbers from the Waterloo Regional Police Service, both police and paramedics responded to more than 60 per cent of the non-fatal overdose calls in 2019.

"Police should not be first responders to be called on scene. It should be the healthcare system that deals with [overdose calls], said Sylvestre.

Increase attributable to more drugs, paramedics say

But Robert Crossan, deputy chief of Paramedic Services for the Region of Waterloo, says "in the real world ... that's not as easy as it sounds."

"Very often, we really don't know what we're responding to or we have very little information other than the address and maybe the person may be unconscious. My point is that a large percentage of these calls — we don't know we're going to an overdose," said Crossan.

Police and paramedics operate under a tiered response, so whoever can get there first will respond.

As for the rise in the number of overdose calls, Crossan thinks the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act could be a factor, but he ultimately is seeing more opioid use in the community.

"I still think that the increase is attributable to more drug supply, more tainted drug supply and more use of those drugs," said Crossan.