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Coronavirus: Ontario opioid crisis worsens during pandemic as services for drug users scale back

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TORONTO – Harm reduction workers battling Ontario’s opioid crisis say COVID-19 is making the situation worse, as police and public health officials in Toronto report a spike in overdoses and related deaths since the start of the pandemic.

Nick Boyce, of the Ontario Harm Reduction Network, said the dramatic measures that have been implemented to slow the spread of the new coronavirus are limiting drug users’ access to support services that help prevent overdose deaths. “We have these two crises where you have the drug crisis intersecting now with another serious public health crisis and the most marginalized folks are the ones bearing the brunt,” he said. “Their access to any sort of supports has been significantly reduced, if not

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Steve Bell - Trucker convoy: Kids in 25% of vehicles could ‘complicate’ response, cops say - globalnews.ca - city Ottawa
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Trucker convoy: Kids in 25% of vehicles could ‘complicate’ response, cops say
Freedom Convoy” trucks and say their presence “complicates” efforts to end the demonstration.More than 100 of the trucks remaining as part of the nearly two-week-long protest in downtown Ottawa are estimated to have kids living in them, OPS Deputy Chief Steve Bell told media in a briefing Tuesday afternoon.“Almost 25 per cent of the 418 trucks have children living in them — children who could be at risk during a police operation,” Bell said.“There’s a multitude of concerns” he said, citing effects from carbon monoxide, diesel fumes, cold, noise and a lack of access to sanitation on kids. Trucker convoy — Here’s what the 10-day injunction against horns includes Ottawa police have tapped the Children’s Aid Society (CAS) for advice on how to proceed with enforcement operations in the downtown core.They’re not seeking to take the kids out of the trucks or away from their parents at this stage, Bell said, but will follow the recommendations of CAS.“We’re not at the stage of looking to do any sort of enforcement activity around that,” he said.“We just think it’s an important factor that complicates and makes this an even more challenging operation.”To date, police and bylaw officers have issued more than 1,300 tickets for traffic violations, made 23 arrests and have 85 active criminal investigations related to the protest, which began as a response to vaccination mandates but has expanded to include a wide umbrella of anti-government sentiment.OPS are also liaising with U.S.
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