NDP mental health and addictions critic Lori Sigurdson speaks in Edmonton in this June 2015 file photo.--CP FILE PHOTO
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant
Drug deaths in Medicine Hat are on pace to return to record high levels in 2023, according to new figures that also show Alberta-wide overdoses reached a new peak in April.
That came just as the provincial election was launched in early May, and that according to the opposition New Democrats, shows the policies of the United Conservative government are not working.
“It’s the highest number ever since they started keeping records – six Albertans a day died in April … from an opiate poisoning,” said NDP MLA Lori Sigurdson, her party’s new critic for mental health and addictions.
“Danielle Smith saying she’s fixed the problem simply has not happened … urgent action is needed.”
In Medicine Hat, 12 deaths occurred between the end of 2022 and the end of April.
Premier Smith, the MLA for Brooks-Medicine Hat, touted her government’s investments in recovery and treatment during the election, which concluded on May 29, and since at conferences and in the national press.
Her constituency office did not respond to requests for comment from the News on Tuesday, but the premier’s office issued a statement to The Canadian Press claiming she was unaware of the new data prior to the election.
The provincial government has stressed treatment and recovery as the way to prevent deaths and get a handle on drug addiction and related crime.
A statement from the associate ministry of Addictions and Mental Health outlines several actions taken by the government in the last term, including reducing fees for treatment and approving plans to build treatment facilities.
“It is clear more needs to be done to address the addiction crisis and we will continue taking significant action to improve access to treatment and recovery for Albertans,” read a statement to the News.
Kym Porter, the head of the local branch of Moms Stop The Harm, said the government must acknowledge the figures and work with advocate groups.
“We need to work together with the common goal of saving lives,” she told the News on Tuesday. “They’ve been cherry-picking their numbers and the drug supply has become more toxic.”
The Alberta Medical Association also weighed in stating that a broader approach may be needed soon.
“While we commend the government’s investment in treatment and recovery, support is also needed for harm reduction, including safer supply – which is supported by growing evidence,” the statement read. “We are ready to work with the government to prevent further loss of life.”
Sigurdson outlined housing programs and supervised consumption sites, where street drugs can be tested, as important steps.
“We need a whole continuum of supports but the UCP … is not working quick enough and is cutting programs that we know work.”
Locally, the first four months of the year show three drug deaths were recorded in each month. The total of 12 equates to about one fatal overdose about every 10 days, all attributed to non-pharmaceutical opioids, like fentanyl and derivatives, heroin, or designer opiates.
If that persists, Medicine Hat would see a total of 36 drug deaths this year, the same number as in 2021 when the all-time high was recorded.
The figure fell to 21 in 2022, and was 13 in 2019 and 18 in 2018.
In the first third of 2023, drug deaths were up across the province where 179 fatal overdoses were recorded in April alone.
That was four higher than the previous record set in December 2021, after which time numbers generally decreased in the spring of 2022, but rose again late in the year.
In Lethbridge, a total of 20 deaths were recorded in April 2023, setting a monthly record, bringing the year-to-date total to 76, compared to 77 in all of 2022.
MLA David Sheppard, the NDP’s health critic, called the figures alarming, and said that the UCP campaigning on making progress as numbers rose higher was “incredibly cynical.”
“Albertans deserves transparency … and real action to save lives,” he told a joint press conference with Sigurdson. “I can’t believe they had no inkling about how bad their plan was working,” he said.
Background provided by the ministry states that the report, typically released by quarter, was not published during a blackout period that is typical during elections.
It stated that associate minister Dan Williams was only informed of the figures after he was sworn in following the election in early June.
