On Monday I attended a hearing to ask the government staff tough questions about the Conservative Governments failing opioid strategies. These hearings are part of the Auditor General and the Ontario Public Accounts Committee’s work to fix the governments failed response to the opioid crisis.
According to the December 2024 report from the Office of the Auditor General of Ontario (OAGO), the province’s response to the opioid epidemic is out of date, poorly coordinated, and costing lives every single day.
The opioid crisis is getting worse, and the numbers are devastating. The number of opioid-related deaths and emergency room visits has increased by 300% between 2014 and 2023.
Every single day, seven people in Ontario die from opioid-related causes. Here in University–Rosedale, the effects are visible.
- Since March 2020, Kensington Market Overdose Prevention services has seen over 20,000 visits, providing life-saving services and a safe space with trained staff.
At the hearing, government staff said the province is committed to using “evidence-based approaches” to address opioid addiction. But the report found that the government isn’t following its own 2016 opioid strategy — and that it made major decisions, like cutting funding for safe Consumption and Treatment Sites (CTS), without using good evidence or publicly consulting health and community experts.
The government’s main response has been to shift focus from harm reduction to treatment and recovery, centering on new facilities. On paper they sound promising, but we learned none of the 14 facilities are fully operational, leaving people without anywhere to turn.
These new facilities are supposed to incorporate supportive housing for up to 900 people, yet there is over 80,000 unhoused people in Ontario. This plan would only address a miniscule 0.01% of the unhoused people in Ontario – this is woefully insufficient.
On top of this, treatment access if falling behind. For people looking to get help, the system is full of barriers and roadblocks. We learned that, despite the high risk of death, only 1 in 18 people hospitalized for an opioid overdose are prescribed medication to help safely manager withdrawal and cravings. The government has said it wants to expand access to treatment through hospitals and primary care, but the rollout has been slow and uneven, putting lives at risk every day.
Now that the hearings are done, NDP, Conservative, and Liberal MPPs will work with the Auditor General to strengthen Ontario’s opioid response. I’ll continue pushing for a plan grounded in evidence, shaped by health experts, and focused on saving lives.
Every statistic represents someone’s neighbour, friend, or family member. We owe it to them to act.
Jessica Bell, MPP for University-Rosedale