Spike in opioid deaths in Ontario, pharmacies to offer free naloxone spray
TORONTO — Ontario saw a spike in opioid-related deaths for much of last year compared to 2016, according to the latest government data.
The province said Wednesday there were 1,053 opioid-related deaths from January to October 2017, compared with 694 during the same time period in 2016.
It also said there were there were 7,658 emergency department visits related to opioid overdoses from January to October of last year, up from 4,453 during the same time period the previous year.
In December, the Public Health Agency of Canada said the number of overdose deaths for last year were expected to surpass 4,000 once all provinces reported their data, far more than the 2,861 opioid-related fatalities reported in 2016.