As opioid deaths surge in Waterloo region, outreach workers sound alarm

Numbers are ‘highly disappointing’

Michael Parkinson, a drug strategy specialist with the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council, said the numbers are “highly disappointing” to him and his colleagues right across Canada.

But he said he is not too surprised by them.

“We’ve had conversations over many years about surges in overdose fatalities that were likely to occur … and of course that’s what we’re seeing, not just in Waterloo region but really right across Canada,” Parkinson told CBC News.

“In Ottawa this weekend, four people died within a 24-hour period due to the drugs consumed from the unregulated market.”

Parkinson said he personally knew some of the people who died recently.

“Waterloo region is still a small community and you get to know people. And for those who come into contact with people who are using substances, all of us have been to far too many funerals over the many years,” he said.

Read full article here:  https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/suspected-opioid-deaths-1.5795630