The crisis is more at the national level, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t concerns with fentanyl locally.

North Bay Police Deputy Chief Scott Tod says fentanyl patch use led to the Patch4Patch program, but they’ve seen seizures of other forms of the drug too.

“We have seen fentanyl in it’s pill form and most recently in the powder form, seizures in our community. We also knew that the powder form was seized in areas outside of our community of North Bay and Callander. Yes, we do have a fentanyl issue in North Bay,” he said.

Tod notes they’re also seeing heroin and W18, a drug that was designed back in the 80’s, both make a comeback.

He added, “I’m not going to say we are at a crisis, but we are certainly at a point where the agencies that work together on public health, on poverty, on homelessness, addictions need to work together better to explain the dangers of illicit drug use in our community.”

Tod says they have to work with people using drugs to break their addiction and gain a healthier lifestyle.

Citing the Police Chief in Waterloo, he says, “We’re not going to arrest our way out of this problem, this is a social problem, it’s an addiction problem in our communities.”    Tod reiterates they have to work with public health and other authorities to eradicate illegal drug use as much as they can.

 

Earlier this week, the province’s chief coroner said fentanyl deaths are on the rise in Ontario, although the numbers aren’t as bleak as elsewhere in the country.

Chief Coroner Dirk Huyer spoke from a training symposium held by the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police, where 450 front-line officers and border patrol agents were to be trained in the health and public safety challenges posed by fentanyl.

Huyer says fentanyl deaths accounted for nearly 30 per cent of Ontario’s fatal opioid overdoses in 2015.

But he says the drug isn’t as pervasive in Ontario as it is in other provinces, like British Columbia.

In August, Vancouver police said they dealt with 16 fentanyl overdoses in one night.

 

Meantime, Victoria police say the seizure of a package containing the deadly opioid fentanyl has prevented thousands of potential overdoses.

The package that was bound for Victoria was intercepted by the Canada Border Services Agency at the Vancouver airport.

Acting police chief Del Manak told reporters yesterday that the package contained nearly one-and-a-half kilograms of fentanyl mixed with heroin, worth an estimated $1.2 million, enough to cause 725,000 overdoses.

(With files from The Canadian Press)

 

In a release this week about a local drug seizure, including the powder form of fentanyl, the North Bay Police Service forwarded the following information:

 

Public advisory about bootleg fentanyl

In August 2016, the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police issued an advisory warning the public of the increase in reports of the presence of bootleg fentanyl in illicit drug markets across Ontario.

Bootleg fentanyl is a high-dose, illicit opioid much more toxic than morphine, produced and distributed by the black market, and distinct from pharmaceutically-produced fentanyl patches.

Bootleg fentanyl, found in pill, powder or liquor forms, is extremely dangerous.

The drug is sometimes added to another street drug, such as cocaine, marijuana or heroin, often without the buyer’s knowledge. The drug’s potency is so strong that a very small amount—equivalent to a few grains of salt—can be fatal. For more information, visit http://facethefentanyl.ca

 

Near North Crime Stoppers Reward

In order to assist local police in preventing the illegal use and trafficking of Fentanyl in our community, Near North Crime Stoppers will pay a guaranteed $1000 reward, during the month of December 2016, for information leading to the seizure of Fentanyl and/or the arrest of individuals involved in trafficking Fentanyl.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), or by submit a tip online at nearnorthcrimestoppers.com.