A Chatham-Kent councillor is looking to address the growing opioid crisis by encouraging council support in joining the 'Big City Mayor's' call for action.
On Monday, Councillor Amy Finn brought forward a motion requesting the mayor to write to higher levels of government, in particular, the Minister of Health, on behalf of the council.
In the report, it states the letter to address the Government of Canada to declare the overdose crisis a national public health emergency and that the crisis is met with the same urgency observed in the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The report also stated to address the federal government in decriminalizing the possession of all drugs for personal use and scale up prevention, harm reduction and treatment services.
"I am writing on behalf of the Chatham-Kent Drug Awareness Council (CKDAC) to request your support in ending the poisoning crisis and the toll it is taking on our communities," read a letter to the council. "We recognize the Municipality of Chatham-Kent has brought significant progress in some areas to respond to the overdose crisis but there is still a long way to go."
According to the report, the number of confirmed opioid toxicity deaths in Chatham-Kent nearly tripled from six deaths in 2019 to 15 deaths in 2020. The rate of emergency visits due to opioid poisoning in Chatham-Kent have increased over the last five years and experienced some of its highest rates in 2020.
"Stigma and criminalization cause people to hide their substance use and as a result, many are forced to use and die alone," the CKDAC wrote in a letter.
The majority of council members expressed being on board with the motion.
Councillor Brock McGregor said he thought it was a great step to take in efforts of addressing the issue.
"There has been a significant movement in Canada and in Ontario towards decriminalization," said Councillor McGregor. "Changing the overall focus of how we address the issue has been a success in places like Vancouver and Toronto. As we see in our community, we're seeing the issue here as well. I think that's why we made the decision on the board of health and why Councillor Finn brought it to council as well."
Council approved the motion as well as a request that Community Human Services provide a presentation to council regarding the opioid crisis in Chatham-Kent.
