Lethbridge drug overdose deaths up 67 per cent over last year
The most recent provincial statistics on opioid poisonings and overdose deaths have just been released, and the numbers are distressing.
The number of drug overdose deaths in Lethbridge and province-wide increased by over 60 per cent in the first five months of 2021, compared to the same period last year.
In Lethbridge there were 25 drug-related deaths from January to May of 2021 according to the provincial government’s substance use surveillance dashboard, an Alberta Health site that keeps track of drug use, overdoses and deaths related to fentanyl and opioids in Alberta.
That is 10 more than during the first five months of 2020, where there were 15 deaths recorded, an increase of 67 per cent.
“We continue to see deaths,” said Ken Kissick, founder of the Streets Alive Mission, a non-profit group that offers support to the cities street population.
Kissick said agencies in Lethbridge have been watching a steady increase in the number of overdoses since the beginning of the pandemic.
“The lockdown created a sense of insecurity, a sense of hopelessness and despair, and for that addicted population they simply increase the amount of drugs they use, which increases the risk of overdose.”
“It’s just Russian roulette when you do drugs,” said Sandy Lee Iron Shirt-Bebe. “You’re either alive, or you’re not, you know.”
Iron Shirt-Bebe said she quit drinking and using drugs about 12 years ago, after her sister died.
Now she carries naloxone kits and checks on friends who are using drugs.
Sandy Lee Iron Shirt-Bebe – carries naloxone kits to revive friends overdosing
“A very close friend of mine, I would check on him six or seven times a day because he would be ODing every time I went there.” Iron Shirt-Bebe said she saved his life over 100 times.
“To this day he’s still alive,” she added.
Iron Shirt Bebe said she picked up five naloxone kits Wednesday morning, before making her rounds through downtown Lethbridge. She had used four of them before noon.
Kissick said staff at Streets Alive treat anywhere from three to five people a week right outside their front door, “It’s just the life we’re in right now with the street population.”
Provincially, overdose deaths are up significantly with 586 people dying as a result of drug or opioid poisoning. Lethbridge had the third-highest total behind Calgary and Edmonton, but per-capita Lethbridge had the highest death rate among the seven cities listed in the report.
Kissick said agencies are doing the best they can to connect with people and keep an eye on known users, but with the city still lacking recovery and treatment facilities, they are not expecting the death rate to go down anytime soon.
Correction
The original headline and story indicated the increase in overdose deaths was 167 per cent. The actual increase was 67 per cent.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.