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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, A ug us t 19 ,2 02 1 | 4 www.shoppersdrugmart.ca 2501 Third Line905-465-3000 478 Dundas Street West905-257-9737NOW OPEN24 HRS EVERY DAY • Patient Counselling • Complete Diabetic Care• Home Visits • Consultations • Free RX Delivery• Free Nutrition Counselling • Vaccinations• Cholesterol, A1C, AFib and DNA Screening lw ys Here toelp You! DE RANGO PHARMACY INC. w 2501 T905-465-3000 • P• H • C AlwaHelp Pharmacist -Fabio De Rango Drug Store/Pharmacy Interlocking & Concrete Specialists Call Mario 905.842.7171 sunmarlandscape.com ™ La n d s c a p in g 3133 Burnhamthorpe Rd W, Milton, On L9E 0J7 • Pebble Concrete • Stamped Concrete • Interlocking • Flagstone • Walkways • Garage Floors • Patios • Driveways • Curbs (French) Interlocking & Concrete Specialists Communities we serve: Located in Halton region, we work in and around • Milton • Campbellville • Burlington • Aldershot • Hamilton • Oakville • Mississauga • Waterdown • Carlisle Free Classesfor Newcomers Fall Registration Open for English or French classes (LINC/ESL or FSL) for aduLt NEwCOmER LEaRNERS, 18+ • Convenient schedules (morning, afternoon, evening & weekend classes) • In person and online classes available • Great school locations with lots of free parking • Childminding available (some restrictions apply) REgIStER EaRLy! SpaCE IS LImItEd. REgIStER ONLINE: https://garyallan.ca/adult-learner/linc-esl-fsl/ For more information Email: linc-esl@hdsb.ca or Download brochure: https://garyallan.ca/adult-learner/linc-esl-fsl/ Funded by / Financé par: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada Immigration, Réfugiés et Citoyenneté Canada August has seen a rash of drug poisonings in south Halton. As of press time, police had responded to 11 inci- dents across the region -- all but one in Oakville and Burlington -- this month. Two of those were fatal -- one in each south Halton municipality. The alarming statistics have the force alerting resi- dents to the dangers that exist, particularly in the current market. "I cannot overstate how important it is that our community understands how volatile and toxic the street supply is right now. In Toronto, for example, their drug checking ser- vice has reported finding highly unexpected, highly potent drugs in samples collected in recent months, including carfentanil, etonitazene, isotonitazene and etizolam. It is reason- able to assume that the supply in Halton would be consistent with that circu- lating in Toronto," said Jennifer Hartman of Hal- ton Police Corporate Com- munications. She added, "Compound- ing the risks associated with an increasingly un- predictable and unstable street supply are risks as- sociated with consuming drugs while alone. More than one-third of victims who overdosed in Halton this year overdosed alone, which means there was no one there to intervene, to call for help, or to possibly administer naloxone." Here is a breakdown of the August numbers in Halton: • 11 suspected drug poi- sonings (some opioid, some non-opioid) • seven in Oakville, three in Burlington, one in Milton • Ages range from early 20s to late 50s • two victims did not sur- vive (one in Oakville, one in Burlington) • four of the 11 victims were alone when they over- dosed • Fentanyl is believed to have contributed to at least 6 of the overdoses, includ- ing one of the fatalities. Naloxone, a life-saving medication that can quick- ly reverse an opioid over- dose. was administered (by bystanders and/or police officers) at five of these in- cidents, Hartman added. "This is encouraging, and we continue to urge people who use drugs to use the buddy system, use one at a time, to start at a small dose, to use slowly, and to have naloxone on hand at all times. Call 911 if you witness an overdose - every one of our officers carries naloxone and just wants to help," she said. "Any life lost due to drug poisoning is tragic and pre- ventable." A recent Ontario Drug Policy Research Network report confirmed that there has been a nearly 80 per cent increase in the number of opioid-related deaths across the province since the pandemic was de- clared in March 2020. In Halton, there was a 63 per cent year-over-year in- crease in the number of opioid-related deaths in the period from Apr 2020 to Mar 2021 when compared with Apr 2019 to Mar 2020, according to police. SOUTH HALTON SEEING SURGE IN DRUG POISONINGS Drug poisonings are on the rise in south Halton. Metroland file photo LOUIE ROSELLA lrosella@metroland.com NEWS