Visits to London's supervised drug consumption site drop by half amid deepening opioid crisis
Troubling trends are emerging as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on street level drug use comes to light.
According to a report for the Middlesex-London Board of Health, opioid overdose deaths rose from an average of eight per month in 2020, to a monthly average of 12 during the first half of 2021.
Meanwhile, the number of visits to the consumption and treatment services site at 186 King Street, where supervised drug use takes place, dropped by more than 50 per cent during the height of the pandemic:
- 28,859 visits in 2019
- 20,047 visits in 2020
- 14,013 visits in 2021
HIV/AIDS Connection, which operates the site, points to pandemic restrictions, related staffing challenges and nearby construction for the drop in visits.
“As COVID [cases] went up, our restrictions went up, but our space was not changing. We ended up moving from four booths down to one [booth] at times,” explained Sonja Burke with HIV/AIDS Connection.
“I’m not going to have any friends left pretty soon,” worries 39-year-old Charles, who asked CTV News London not use his last name, after losing a close friend last month to a fentanyl overdose.
Yet, he remains an infrequent visitor to the supervised drug consumption site.
“I use it once in a while, I’m an occasional user, but otherwise I do it safe [here],” he explained from a cardboard shelter in a Dundas Street doorway.
Drug use in a core area parking lot in London, Ont. on May 18, 2022. (Daryl Newcombe/CTV News London)Burke says everyone has their own unique barriers to visiting a supervised consumption site — the key is to find out why and without judgement.
“We need to build trusting relationships and sometimes it takes multiple referrals,” she added.
Burke says progress is being made to construct the city’s permanent consumption and treatment services site at 446 York Street. It will be designed to adapt to some of the challenges experienced over the past two years if pandemic restrictions return.
“The facility is much larger, we are going to have much more room for wrap-around services,” said Burke.
Burke adds that visits are starting to rebound since pandemic restrictions eased.
The Middlesex-London Board of Health will receive an update about the local opioid crisis at its meeting on May 19.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.