Spike in Overdoses Prompts Government Warning
Saskatoon has seen a surge in overdoses over the past week, with the Saskatoon Fire Department responding to nearly 50 cases, triggering an alert from the provincial government.
According to the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health, emergency crews attended 25 overdose calls on Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by another 23 incidents between Friday morning and Saturday morning. The alert did not specify whether any of these cases were fatal.
Prairie Harm Reduction, which operates a safe consumption site in the city, reported five additional overdoses within their facility on Friday alone—a sharp increase compared to the one or two they typically see every few days.
Unresponsive to Naloxone
Some of the drugs causing these overdoses may contain substances beyond opioids, according to Prairie Harm Reduction. Their testing revealed the presence of benzodiazepines, which do not respond to naloxone, the medication commonly used to reverse opioid overdoses.
Kayla DeMong, executive director at Prairie Harm Reduction, warned about light pink, red, or purple drugs, as they may be linked to recent overdoses.
She described one case in which naloxone failed to revive an individual at their safe consumption site.
“Our paramedic was able to stabilize them using oxygen and CPR, but we’re not sure what substance was involved that prevented naloxone from working,” DeMong explained.
She noted that since the beginning of the year, overdose surges have been happening in waves, with the most recent spike occurring just days after the last one.
Calls for Action Amid Growing Crisis
Just a few blocks from Prairie Harm Reduction, a group of people gathered outside Station 20 West as part of a march advocating for solutions to homelessness and substance use issues in Saskatoon.
David Fineday, an organizer of the biweekly awareness walk, emphasized the need for continued advocacy.
“These are our relatives,” he said, gesturing toward people in the area. “We love our people and want to help them so they’re not homeless, so we don’t lose any more lives.”
A Mother’s Grief
Among the marchers was Irene Head, who shared the heartbreaking story of her son, Kevin James Sutherland. The 46-year-old died of an overdose and was found outside in the cold.
Head recalled spending days searching for him, only to find that he refused to come home.
“I would ask him, ‘Why aren’t you at home? Why are you living like this?'” she said.
His addiction had taken over, leaving his family feeling powerless.
“His brother tried to help him… he was devastated. It was very hard on my family,” she said.
