PM says work to address opioids is a priority as Hamilton sees spike
HAMILTON — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told an Ontario city hard-hit by the national opioid crisis that situations like theirs were a top priority for his government, as a municipal official called for more concrete steps to address the root causes of addiction.
New figures show the city of Hamilton saw 70 opioid-related deaths between January and October last year, with an additional five deaths classified as “probable” opioid-related fatalities. That compared to 41 confirmed opioid-related deaths for the same period in 2016.
The city said its opioid-death rate for last year’s period was 78 per cent higher than the provincial rate. In 2016, it said its rate was 48 per cent higher than Ontario’s.
Trudeau, who was in Hamilton Tuesday as part of a tour through some of Canada’s major steel-producing communities, said the government is taking action to try and curb the deadly trend.