â–º Listen Live
HomeNewsOpioid deaths doubled among First Nations people in Ontario

Opioid deaths doubled among First Nations people in Ontario

Chiefs are endorsing a call to action to deal with the large numbers of opioid deaths among First Nations people in Ontario.

Ontario Regional Chief Glen Hare says 116 First Nations people died due to opioid poisoning between March 2020 and March 2021, compared to 50 in 2019.

He says that is a 132 percent increase adding First Nations have been disproportionately affected by the overdose crisis.

He adds those are key findings of a report released by the Chiefs of Ontario and the Ontario Drug Policy Research Network last Friday, which examined patterns in hospitalizations and deaths due to opioid-related poisoning among First Nations and non-First Nations people in Ontario.

- Advertisement -

Like his non-Native peers, he is calling for recognition of the crisis by both the federal and Ontario government as an emergency.

Hare is also asking the federal government to establish measurable goals to identify and close the gaps in health outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities.

- Advertisment -
- Advertisment -
- Advertisement -

Continue Reading