After Ford quashed decriminalization for drug use, Peel hiring more staff to fight worsening overdose crisis

Photo from Michael Longmire via Unsplash

After the number of overdoses in Peel reached record levels in April and May, the Region knew something needed to change. But with COVID-19 redirecting 80 percent of public health resources toward contact tracing and other pandemic-related emergency efforts, there just wasn’t enough to go around. 

“There is increased demand for already strained Peel Public Health harm reduction services, particularly as community partners have been forced to reduce or stop their services during the pandemic,” reads a report from Dr. Lawrence Loh, Peel’s medical officer of health, which dropped on councillors’ desks earlier this month. 

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Calls from public health officials in Toronto to explore the potential of decriminalizing simple drug possession were quickly shot down by the Premier. 

But as more Peel residents die of overdose than at any other time during the ongoing opioid crisis, innovative solutions are needed to protect those using drugs to cope with the pandemic and other mounting pressures. 

Published in The Pointer Brampton and The Pointer Mississauga on December 6, 2020