Once again, parents pack opioid meeting in Kanata in search for answers

For the second time in less than a week, hundreds of parents filled a meeting space Monday night to talk about how to tackle illegal drug use in Ottawa and especially in Kanata, where concerns have grown since the recent deaths of two neighbourhood teens, both from apparent overdoses.

• Kanata parents with drug-addicted children go to meeting hoping for answers

• 'Keep our kids from dying': Ottawa dad pens letter warning of overdoses

Earlier this month police and public health officials issued a public warning about fake prescription pills potentially laced with the deadly opioid fentanyl.

"Drug dealers aren't involved in quality control," Ottawa police Deputy Chief Steve Bell told the crowd.

"You're playing Russian roulette every time you take it."

'I want to be prepared, just in case'

While Bell warned these drugs are affecting people of all ages and in all areas of the city, much of the concern on Monday night was about kids — how to educate them, how to prevent them from getting into drugs and how to treat them if they do.

Curtis Keable, a father of two children and a part-time Uber driver, said he came to the meeting to find out what to do if he encounters an overdose victim.

"I want to be prepared, just in case. I drive young people occasionally, so I want to be able to respond if there's an emergency. I want my 15-year-old to have a kit," said Keable, referring to a naloxone kit — a potentially life-saving opioid antidote that can reverse the effects of an overdose if administered quickly.

Another parent, Shannon Smith, came to find out how to protect her own teens as well as the kids she oversees as principal at a Kanata elementary school. The community is hungry for any information and education is the key, she said.

"We need to start at a young age, Grade 7 at the very least, and not be afraid to say, 'This is something that's very serious,' and make sure kids know what to look for and know they have someone to turn to," said Smith.

'We're here to do our best'

Politicians from all three levels of government were at the meeting, including Ottawa South MPP John Fraser and Kanata–Carleton MP Karen McCrimmon.

City of Ottawa councillors organized the gathering, which included several kiosks run by community agencies, addiction services, school boards and paramedics.

"We're hearing the need for more in education and we're there to support the parents, we're here to do our best and learn as you are," said Thomas D'Amico, the Ottawa Catholic School Board's associate director of education.

Fact sheets addressing drug concerns are being sent out to OCSB teachers and parents this week, he said.

It was an email from school that caught the attention of Monica Flother, who has a 12-year-old son.

"Once upon a time I thought that was too young, but apparently it's not. Kids in his age and older are getting involved in drugs and it's very scary," she said.