Too early to tout drop in Alberta opioid deaths, critics say

Alberta's minister of mental health and addictions says he is "cautiously optimistic" about the lower number of opioid poisoning deaths in the first six months of 2024 compared to last year, but critics say it may be too soon to take a victory lap. 

"Our government knows that for anyone suffering from addiction, recovery is possible," Dan Williams said in a written statement. 

"That is why we are focused on the Alberta Recovery Model, creating a continuum of care with the right services to bring people out of addiction and into recovery."

Williams's ministry is focused on recovery and is cool to harm reduction measures like supervised consumption sites. The province recently announced the site in Red Deer would close next spring after providing other measures like paramedics, recovery coaches, and a "mobile rapid access addiction medicine clinic" to help users. 

Earlier this year, Red Deer city council voted in favour of phasing out the site, which is located in a temporary trailer next to the Safe Harbour homeless shelter.

Williams has offered similar services to the city of Calgary as long it closes the supervised consumption site at the Sheldon Chumir Centre in the Beltline area. 

Dashboard data is preliminary

The government posts monthly numbers on the Substance Use Surveillance System online dashboard. Preliminary numbers frequently change as the cause of death is confirmed by the medical examiner's office. A backlog in cases means confirmations can take months. 

Euan Thomson is the Calgary-based author of the Drug Data Decoded newsletter and founder of Each and Every, a coalition of businesses in favour of harm reduction. 

Thomson has tracked the changes on the dashboard. He says newer numbers can vary considerably from what was originally posted. He said he believes the province publicizes the initial numbers to make its recovery strategy look like it's working. 

"The initial released data tends to increase by anywhere up to 30 per cent over the months following the initial release," he said. 

WATCH | Opioid deaths are declining in Alberta in preliminary data: 

Overdose deaths declining in Alberta, data shows. But critics are skeptical

2 months ago

Duration 1:58

Fewer Albertans died from overdose in May and June of 2024 compared to the same periods last year, recently released data shows. The province's minister of addictions and mental health is cautiously optimistic, but some critics expect fatalities to rise.

Thomson said the government uses the numbers to increase public support for measures like ending safe supply programs.

"These data, which are false until they're updated months later, are causing tremendous harm to people who are just trying to survive the drug toxicity crisis," he said in an interview with CBC News.

Hunter Baril, the press secretary for mental health and addictions, said the dashboard makes it clear that the information is preliminary and is updated as additional information is provided by the medical examiner. 

Baril said other jurisdictions such as British Columbia report their drug poisoning data in a similar manner. 

"Through [the dashboard], the department provides the most up-to-date data available and will continue to do so," he wrote. 

"The alternative would be for the OCME (Office of the Chief Medical Examiner) to not provide any preliminary data, resulting in waits of up to one year or more to see finalized overdose fatality data.

"Despite updates to May opioid data, fatalities still show that they are 50 per cent lower than in May of last year, which indicates a steady decline and cause for cautious optimism."

'Presumptuous, premature'

Calgary Currie MLA Janet Eremenko, the NDP opposition critic for mental health and addictions, said that suggesting the decline is due to Alberta's recovery model is "quite presumptuous and a bit premature."

Eremenko said Alberta has opened only three of its planned 11 recovery communities. The newest facility in Gunn, Alta., started taking patients a couple of months ago. 

"To suggest that this hallmark element of the Alberta recovery model is what's driving the reduction in number, I just don't see that relationship bearing out," Eremenko said. 

"I think it would be a bit a bit premature to be suggesting that."

Eremenko said that jurisdictions across North America are seeing lower numbers of drug poisonings. But she said that could change, depending on the toxicity of the drug supply.