Chief Paul CookThe Patch 4 Patch program started in North Bay and is soon to become a provincial law in Ontario.

Bill 33 passed Third Reading at Queen’s Park on Monday and North Bay Police Chief Paul Cook says it really does save lives.

He says since implementing the strategy in 2014, there hasn’t been one death caused by Fentanyl overdose in the city.

He added lots of cities around the province have implemented the plan and he expects it to grow beyond Ontario’s borders.

He says they have been contacted by other police services out west that are experiencing similar problems. Cook says once it becomes official law in Ontario, other provinces may try to replicate the legislation.

The program requires anyone who uses a fentanyl patch for medicinal purposes to return a used patch, in order to get a new one.