Extremely toxic drug supply putting lives at risk, Brandon police chief says

A growing number of overdoses has the Brandon police chief warning that an extremely toxic drug supply poses a danger to the public.

Brandon Police Service Chief Tyler Bates says there's been a troubling spike in overdoses and they're continuing to climb in the southwestern Manitoba city.

There were three reported non-lethal overdoses in November, and that doubled to six in the first two weeks of December, he said.

Of the 50 police-reported overdoses in 2024, seven have been fatal. In 2023, there were five reported fatal overdoses, and there were three in 2022.

"That precipitous climb is concerning," Bates said, and it "speaks to a drug supply that is tainted perhaps and ... more lethal."

Solange Machado, senior network co-ordinator for the Manitoba Harm Reduction Network in Brandon, said an increasing risk of fatal overdoses is hitting the community hard.

"It's devastating," Machado said. "People really aren't recovering from the last loss before there's another loss, and it's really, really painful for people."

The illicit drug supply could be becoming more toxic for several reasons, she said — drugs could be more potent or have other harmful chemicals mixed into them.

Chemicals recently found in drugs include different kinds of sodium, herbicides, anti-seizure medication and phosphorus oxychloride, Machado said. All can have harmful and even fatal effects when ingested or smoked.

The result is people are not always getting what they're expecting, which increases the risk of a fatal overdose, she said.

The most important step in keeping people safe right now is education and ensuring people know there is a toxic drug supply in Brandon, Machado said. 

Paying attention to drug alerts, doing testing before using, never using alone and carrying naloxone, which can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, are among the steps users can take to try to stay safe.

There were already red flags last year that drugs were becoming more dangerous, with 445 drug-related deaths reported in Manitoba in 2023, said Antoinette Gravel-Ouellette, Moms Stop the Harm Stronger Together program co-ordinator. 

Any message that can alert the community to the pattern of deaths and increasing drug toxicity over the past couple of years is critical, she said.

People also need access to safer supplies in Brandon, she said.

Chief Bates said while there are social agencies that can help with medical and social needs of people at risk, including the recently opened Franny's Place, a safe house for women, the need is sometimes greater than what those resources can handle.

Brandon currently doesn't have a sobering centre, but work is being done to get one.

Without more robust supports, overdose numbers will continue to rise in Brandon, Gravel-Ouellette said.

"We need to look at strategies that will work and how to shift that from a punitive, justice issue back into a health issue," she said.

"We're not going to police our way out of this."

Even with better supports, the stigma and shame tied to substance use can prevent people from reaching out when they need help, Gravel-Ouellette said.

"We need to come together ... as a community and show compassion and love."