The Waterloo Region is facing an opioid crisis. According to Cameron Dearlove, the executive director at Porchlight Counseling and Addiction Services, it is worsening.
Throughout 2024, the Waterloo Region Integrated Drug Strategy (WRIDS) issued multiple overdose alerts, highlighting a persistent and alarming trend in drug-related incidents. In Nov. 15, WRIDS extended a community drug alert following three suspected drug overdose (or poisoning) deaths. Earlier alerts in October and September reported increases in suspected drug poisonings and related fatalities.
“Since 2015 we have seen more opioid-related deaths than all the Canadians who died fighting in World War II,” Dearlove said.
According to the data from the Overdose Monitoring Alert and Response System (OMARS), there is a rise in overdose-related 911 calls and suspected deaths. In 2024 alone, there are confirmed 210 opioid-related deaths, with 286 stimulant toxicity deaths reported in the first six months of that year.
The Waterloo Region has implemented numerous intervention methods over the past few years, including a Consumption and Treatment Services Site (CTS), a Safer Supply Program (SSP) and Sanguen’s Drug-Checking Program.
“Unfortunately, in 2025, we will see many of these supports removed from the community,” Dearlove said. In response, the Waterloo Region will launch a Homelessness Addiction Recovery Treatment Hub (HART Hub) and a youth wellness hub in Cambridge. There are also a variety of treatment options for people undergoing opioid addiction, including in-patient treatment options and community-based treatment options, such as Opioid Agonist Therapy (OAT), medications or behavioural therapy.
“In Waterloo Region, we also have 19 beds of addiction recovery living for those needing a safe space to recover,” said Erica Poulin, the coordinator at Porchlight Counseling and Addiction Services. “However, these programs have more demand than spaces available, and there is often a long wait for funded services.”
Individuals with opioid addiction can undergo an assessment and gain access to Ministry of Health funded treatment beds and residential treatment programs from The House of Friendship, Stonehenge Therapeutic Community, Healthcaring KW, Porchlight Counselling and Addiction Services, Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), the AIDS Committee of Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo & Area ACCKWA, Sangeun Health Centre and Ray of Hope.
“With the way the current system is operating and the number of people engaged in substance use, along with the reduction in harm reduction supports, there is no indication that the opioid crisis will ease anytime soon,” Dearlove said.
“The current system as designed is not sufficient to confront the realities of the opioid crisis,” Poulin said. “If we are to solve this challenge, we will need far more funding, new programs and strategies and significant investments into affordable and supportive housing.” Dearlove recommends staying up to date with the Region of Waterloo’s Overdose/Drug Poisoning dashboard to stay up to date with recent opioid-related issues.
Photo by Sangjun Han
