Belleville, Ont., declares state of emergency after surge in overdoses

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The mayor of an Ontario city that declared a state of emergency after nearly two dozen people overdosed in just two days is calling for help from the federal and provincial governments.

None of the overdoses this week in Belleville, a roughly two-hour drive east of Toronto, were fatal, but the situation became so severe on Tuesday, when 14 overdoses were reported in just two hours, that police redirected traffic from downtown to ensure emergency services could get through to the flood of calls. That number had climbed to 23 by Thursday.

Mayor Neil Ellis urged Ottawa and the provincial government to provide assistance to the southeastern Ontario city of roughly 55,000 people.

“The past two days have exemplified just how critical the addiction, mental-health and homelessness crisis has become in our community,” Mr. Ellis said in a statement Thursday.

“We, as a city, know that we are at the point where doing our best doesn’t cut it anymore. Our emergency services, health care system and municipal resources are being stretched to the very limits and we are close to a breaking point.”

Belleville is among the many cities across the country grappling with converging crises of housing, homelessness, mental health and addictions. Toxic opioids have killed 40,000 people in Canada since 2016 and the annual death toll has worsened every year, while also becoming an increasing problem in smaller communities.

The city did not say what specific drug is believed to be behind this most recent spike of overdoses, though public-health officials had flagged concerns to frontline workers last week about a batch of laced drugs circulating in the community that seemed resistant to naloxone, a medication that is used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.

The Belleville area reported 371 opioid-related calls last year, including a week in November when Fire Chief Dan Smith said there were 90 overdoses.

“We continue to see spikes in calls for service related to overdoses on a regular basis,” Chief Smith said in an e-mail Thursday. “We can see a period of 24 hours of high call volume or some cases where it lasts over numerous days. During these times, the challenge for responders is dealing with multiple overdoses at one time.”

Sudden spikes in overdoses have prompted warnings and alerts in communities in Ontario, B.C. and elsewhere. British Columbia declared a public-health emergency related to overdose deaths in April, 2016, which remains in place.

While several municipalities, including Toronto, have made symbolic emergency declarations around homelessness, mental health and addiction, Belleville’s declaration this week was more formal.

Opioid overdose deaths among homeless people have risen dramatically, Ontario study shows

Belleville declared an emergency under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, which triggers a formal request for support from the provincial and federal governments for “a situation or an impending situation that constitutes a danger of major proportions that could result in serious harm to persons or substantial damage to property and that is caused by the forces of nature, a disease or other health risk, an accident or an act whether intentional or otherwise.”

Without support from senior levels of government, Mr. Ellis said, he fears nothing will change – in Belleville, or across the country.

“We need to be part of a larger plan, focusing on harm reduction and rehabilitation,” the mayor said Wednesday at a news conference alongside other emergency officials. “As a municipality, we are ready to help and do whatever we can to be part of the solution, but we need some guidance.”

In an e-mail Thursday, Hannah Jensen, a spokesperson for Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones, said the province’s Chief Medical Officer of Health and Ontario Health are working with Hastings Prince Edwards Public Health Unit, which is the local health authority for the Belleville area.

She said they have received a new shipment of naloxone, and have confirmed with local health officials that their supply is sufficient to respond. They are also engaging with neighbouring communities to ensure additional resources are ready as required.

“We are also prioritizing limiting the spread of the contaminated substance. The CMOH is working with Ontario’s 34 public-health units to ensure all regions have a plan and the necessary resources to respond should this laced drug get into other communities,” she said.

Data from Public Health Ontario last updated in June, 2023, show that opioid-related emergency room visits occurred at a rate of 245 per 100,000 population in the area covered by Hastings Prince Edward Public Health. The provincial rate was 94 per 100,000.

Debbie Pike, a local teacher and founder of grassroots non-profit outreach organization Not Alone Team Quinte, said the past week has sent a ripple of fear and anger through the community.

While no deaths had been reported, Ms. Pike said she was gripped with fear knowing it was a possibility. Just the previous weekend, she said her organization lost a long-time client, who was found in a dumpster after an overdose.

“It was very hard to see that,” she said.

She appreciates the city now sounding the alarm – but says the city, too, must step up its supports for the homeless, even as the municipality awaits funding from other levels of government.

“Until we have housing, we’re not going to see anything better,” she said. But she also acknowledged that’s not going to happen overnight. And in the meantime, she said the community must devote more resources to support people who are unhoused or on the verge.

She said there are only 21 shelter beds in the city, and roughly 1,500 people who are homeless or couch surfing. The city does not have a supervised consumption site.

“It needs to go across the board,” she said of the required response.

With a report from The Canadian Press