An average of 21 lives have been snuffed out by apparent opioid toxicity poisonings every day in Canada since the start of 2023.
These deaths mark lives with no hope of recovery, no second chances, and missed milestones with loved ones. In Alberta alone, there have been 8,438 opioid-poisoning deaths from January of 2016 to September of 2023.
Alberta’s annual death counts due to opioid toxicity poisonings nearly doubled between 2019 (626) and 2020 (1,186).
The deaths of these individuals have been recorded by the federal government's Opioid and Stimulant related Harms in Canada research and the Government of Alberta’s Substance Use Surveillance System.
Across the country, there were a total of 38,514 apparent opioid toxicity deaths between January 2016 and March 2023, states federal reporting. Close to the same number of people, 37,697, were admitted to hospital during the same period because of opioid-related poisoning (excluding Quebec).
So far in 2023, about 90 per cent of the accidental opioid toxicity deaths in Canada occurred in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario.
While some provinces are showing death tolls starting to stabilize at close to record highs, opioid toxicity deaths are not only occurring in major urban centres. Illicit opioids such as fentanyl are finding their way into rural communities, First Nation communities and northern territories.
No second chances
For every opioid poisoning related death there is an entire network of loved ones who are left reeling from the loss of a child or parent, brother or sister, friend or grandchild.
Louise White-Gibbs, an MD of Bonnyville resident, lost her daughter Renée on Sept. 24, 2022, at the age of 34, because of fatal opioid toxicity – fentanyl poisoning.
But Renée’s death was not captured in Alberta’s opioid deaths. Renée was living in B.C. at the time of her passing.
In the week prior, Renée had voluntarily admitted herself into a detox centre in Kamloops, B.C. While waiting for a spot to open at a rehabilitation centre, Renée was staying at a shelter in downtown Kamloops.
“At the very least, my daughter deserved to be safe, and it wasn't a place of her choosing – it was just the only place for her,” said White-Gibbs. “Renée could have gone to the parks like everybody else does, but she went there thinking she'd be safer because she just got out of detox. And then she was killed by the guy in the bed next to her.”
It remains unclear what Renée believed she was consuming the night she died.
Travelling to Kamloops after her daughter’s death, White-Gibbs learned that another client staying at the shelter had invited her outside to smoke. What Renée inhaled that night killed her almost instantly.
“She’s not usually a drug user, but she was given something from this guy next to her, so she smoked it, and it killed her,” White-Gibbs said, citing her daughters struggles with alcoholism.
White-Gibbs compares her daughter’s death to a drink being spiked at a bar. “If someone put poison in your drink, you can be darn sure that there'd be a police investigation as to who killed you... These are not overdoses, they are murders.”
For police, Renée’s death was an open and shut case. No investigation was launched.
“Why I feel hurt is that I feel like her death was just dismissed. Nothing happened,” said White-Gibbs, looking down. “She was just one of the thousands and thousands of people who are dying from opioid poisoning.”
White-Gibbs still wonders if the man who handed her daughter drugs laced with fentanyl has played a role in the deaths of other unsuspecting individuals.
“Every single death counts because these are people – kids. Most are unintentionally consuming fentanyl, which strikes them dead. They may have hoped to beat their addictions, hope to beat alcoholism, but there is no hope when you're dealing with poisoned drugs.”
Fentanyl is commonly mixed with drugs like heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine and made into pills that are made to resemble other prescription opioids, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“Fentanyl-laced drugs are extremely dangerous, and many people may be unaware that their drugs are laced with fentanyl,” states the CDC.
Speaking with the coroner who completed the inquiry into her daughter’s death, White-Gibbs says she was told that low levels of recreational drugs were found in Renée’s system, but a tremendous amount of fentanyl was discovered. The cause of death was declared opioid toxicity.
No place for stigma
Renée battled alcoholism for years and checked herself into rehab a total of six times in her life. During periods of sobriety the graphic design graduate came alive, and her creativity was reinvigorated, described her mother.
Through the ups and downs of Renée’s life, White-Gibbs and her daughter maintained a positive relationship and talked regularly on the phone – but Renée’s struggles with alcohol were rarely discussed.
“She always had to be in control – but when she wanted to go to rehab or detox, I was always there to support her decision,” White-Gibbs said.
The week before Renée’s passing, she spoke with her mother every day. “It was so nice to have my old Re back. We talked about hopeful things, about how she's going to come stay will me at Muriel Lake. She was happy and I could hear the hope in her voice,” recalled White-Gibbs.
A few weeks later, White-Gibbs would receive her daughter’s personal belongings. A backpack she had given Renée for Christmas, a stuffed bear from Renée’s childhood, and a set of pastels and pictures Renée had drawn.
“When Renée died, it impacted me and my family so greatly. I put it out there about how my daughter was killed, poisoned with fentanyl, because I want something to be done. I want people to speak of it,” White-Gibbs said. “We have to change the way we talk about it.”
The conundrum
Since her daughter's death, White-Gibbs has emersed herself in understanding the opioid crisis. Educating herself and educating others.
White-Gibbs believes that stricter sentences need to be delivered to those convicted of trafficking illicit opioids and fentanyl. But the mother of three also recognizes that people often leave the Canadian justice system worse off than when they entered.
While implementing more spaces in rehab, opening safe consumption sites and access to mental health crisis supports are a no-brainer for White-Gibbs, she wonders if illicit drugs should be decriminalized so that safe drug supplies can be created.
White-Gibbs acknowledged that she doesn’t know what the silver bullet to end the opioid crisis is, but she wants more people talking about it, without the conversation getting political.
Government takes action
To address the opioid crisis, the Government of Alberta has created a province-wide Virtual Opioid Dependency Program and a Digital Overdose Response System (DORS) app.
Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul MLA Scott Cyr is seeking the province’s support to establish a recovery community in the Lakeland region.
“The model for this initiative draws inspiration from the successful Blood Tribe Recovery Community and the Tsuut'ina Nation Recovery Facility, both of which showcase the power of Indigenous traditions in fostering healing and recovery,” wrote Cyr to the Ministery of Mental Health and Addictions.
“The urgent need for such an initiative arises from the alarming impact of the opioid crisis and substance abuse on our communities. The surge in addiction-related fatalities, coupled with the rise in criminal and violent activities, emphasizes the dire need for targeted interventions that can effectively address the distinct challenges faced by our communities.”
