There are 210 people alive today thanks to the efforts of frontline Ontario Provincial Police officers armed with naloxone.
The OPP said the number of overdose incident it has responded to between 2019 and 2020 jumped 38 per cent.
The majority of drug-related overdoses were in the Central and West Regions. Windsor-Essex, Chatham-Kent, and London-Middlesex are all located in the West Region.
Most overdoses were in a home, most of the victims were men, and the average age of the person who overdosed was 34 for women and 35 for men.
"People from every age group and every socioeconomic background continue to be affected by opioids in Ontario," said OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique.
The OPP released the data this week, and it reflects the period between September 2017 and February 3, 2021.
It mirrors an increase reported by Public Health Units across Ontario. Medical Officer of Health in Windsor-Essex, Doctor Wajid Ahmed noted a spike in opioid-related emergency department visits and hospital admissions.
"On the flip side, there are many overdoses that we have to say are not reported," said Ahmed. "911 is not called, so there is no documented evidence of an overdose, and most of these overdoses are averted by the agencies where these individuals hang out, and their peers who may use naloxone."
In 2019, more than 1,500 people died of opioid-related overdoses in Ontario. Public Health Ontario said 47 of those deaths were in Windsor-Essex. In Chatham-Kent, six people died, and 60 in London-Middlesex.
At the core of its response to the crisis is the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act, said the OPP. Those who witness an overdose and call 911 will not face criminal charges.
"If you witness someone experiencing an overdose, please dial 911 and if you can, stay with the victim to provide support. You could make a difference and save a life," said OPP Superintendent Bryan MacKillop, the director of the Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau.
However, the police service continues to investigate trafficking. Since 2016, the OPP has investigated incidents that lead to 23 manslaughter or criminal negligence causing death charges.
