'Bad batch' of drugs suspected in overdose spike

Both the city and an organization that runs a supervised consumption site in downtown Ottawa are reporting a rise in suspected overdose-related calls and deaths this past week, and warn it may be due to a "bad batch" of drugs.

In a news release Tuesday, the Ottawa Overdose Prevention and Response Task Force warned residents of "an increase" in suspected overdose-related incidents, noting police and paramedics responded to at least 22 calls for service for that reason in the past week. There were five suspected overdose deaths, the city said. 

Police clarified that the "increase" was compared to last week's data, when they responded to 11 calls for suspected overdoses. 

Wendy Muckle, CEO of Ottawa Inner City Health, which provides health-care services for people without homes, says the city's data is not surprising based on what she's seeing at shelters and at Ottawa's busiest supervised consumption site, located in the ByWard Market.

These are five lives that were lost 100 per cent unnecessarily.- Wendy Muckle, CEO of Ottawa Inner City Health

"We are also seeing a spike so the numbers are not a surprise," said Muckle. "Typically, what that means is just a bad batch of drugs. In this case, I think it's fentanyl."

She explained how one individual at the site overdosed Monday after using what they believed was marijuana. The drug appeared to contain fentanyl, Muckle said.

"So people are using what they think they would normally use, but unfortunately succumbing to an overdose as a result."

Muckle said the supervised consumption site on Murray Street sees about one overdose every 24 hours on average. In the last week there have been 29 overdoses at the site, up from 20 the previous week.

"Definitely an increase from what we normally see," she said. 

Muckle said the recent spike in overdoses in Ottawa, while not uncommon, should serve as a warning to the community "that things are not well."

"We need solutions to this overdose crisis. This has been plaguing our city since 2017," said Muckle, adding that Ottawa needs long-term investment in prevention, decriminalization and treatment of trauma.

"My heart breaks for their families and for their community and for the loved ones. These are five lives that were lost 100 per cent unnecessarily. Every single one of those deaths is 100 per cent preventable."

Symptoms and safety tips

According to Ottawa Public Health's (OPH) latest preliminary data for 2022, there were 71 opioid overdose-related emergency visits to hospital in May. The highest so far this year was 76 emergency visits in March.

In 2021, OPH recorded 127 opioid overdose-related deaths.

Symptoms or signs of an opioid overdose include slow or absent breathing, blue nails and lips, gurgling or snoring sounds, choking, clammy or cold skin, tiny pupils, and immobility or unconsciousness, according to the city.

The city is reminding individuals who use drugs to: 

• Never use alone, or if you do, tell someone before and have a safety plan.
• Never mix drugs.
• Go slow, as the quality of illegal drugs is unpredictable.
• Carry naloxone, a medication that can temporarily reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
• Know your tolerance.
• Consider visiting one of the city's supervised consumption sites.