Opioid Crisis in Ontario Deepens Among Indigenous Peoples — A Reality Felt Here in Regent Park

A new report from the Chiefs of Ontario reveals that First Nations people are dying from opioid overdoses at nearly nine times the rate of non-Indigenous residents. In 2022 alone, the crisis claimed Indigenous lives across the province at devastating levels, highlighting a widening health and social emergency. Hospitalizations linked to opioid toxicity are also disproportionately high, especially among those living away from their home communities. In downtown east Toronto, including Regent Park, Indigenous residents face an even steeper challenge as several supervised consumption sites have closed in recent months. These sites once offered safe spaces for drug use under trained supervision, access to sterile supplies, and immediate medical support in case of overdose. Research consistently shows that supervised consumption reduces harm, prevents public injection, and connects people to social and health services. Since the closures, staff at local drop-in centres have reported a rise in overdoses, adding pressure to already stretched community supports. Indigenous people — who often face barriers to housing, health care, and culturally safe treatment — are among the most affected. In Regent Park, harm reduction programs remain vital. They offer not just safety, but dignity and connection for community members navigating the daily realities of addiction and survival amid an ongoing opioid crisis that continues to claim lives across Ontario.