Same thing in Montreal this weekend.

This is the best summary I could come up with:

A new study reveals the mounting toll the opioid crisis is having on emergency departments and paramedic services in Ontario, and should serve as a “wake up call” to policymakers, says the report’s author.

Patients going to emergency departments due to opioid use more than doubled between 2009 and 2019, said McMaster University PhD candidate Ryan Strum, the lead researcher.

The Hamilton, Niagara, Haldimand and Brant region was one of the “major hubs” that experienced a staggering surge in people needing help due to opioid use, he said.

The McMaster study is the first of its kind in Canada that looks at not only people accessing the health-care system for opioid overdoses and deaths, but also for withdrawal and dependence symptoms, and related mental health disorders such as psychosis, said Strum.

Minister Ya’ara Saks, who oversees mental health and addictions, said the funding will be divided between the city for more harm reduction outreach and peer support workers, the AIDS Network to bolster its existing safer supply program, and St. Joseph’s to improve patient treatment, diagnosis and care.

These types of announcements do little to actually help the city tackle the many crises it’s facing including opioids, homelessness, mental health and affordable housing, said Hamilton Coun.

The original article contains 665 words, the summary contains 204 words. Saved 69%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!

Is this a result of “opioid use” or “opioid abuse”? The article seems to skirt any hint of addiction as being the culprit.

There are legitimate uses for opioids, so it’s really unfair when reports mix opioid abuse with responsible use.