Collective effort needed to curb rising overdose numbers in Regina: Bray

Regina recorded 160 overdose deaths in 2021 — a 40 per cent increase from the previous year.

Regina Police Service Chief Evan Bray told the Greg Morgan Morning Show on Wednesday that that isn’t the most staggering statistic.

“If you look at two years ago, this was not even close to being the problem it is right now,” Bray said.

In 2019, there were 21 overdose deaths in the city. That number increased to 111 in 2020.

Last year, more than 1,800 overdoses were reported in Regina.

Bray said a collective effort is needed to combat addiction to curb the rise in overdoses and deaths. That starts with getting help to people in the community who are addicted.

A police-only solution is unlikely to work, Bray acknowledged.

“The drug supply tends to change and move based on the wants and needs of those people who are suffering from addiction,” he said.

While police interrupt the flow of drugs to the community, it doesn’t end supply.

“As soon as you stop the supply of one type of substance into the community, people that are suffering with an addiction will replace it with something else,” Bray said.

He said a health perspective is needed and a greater importance should be placed on harm reduction to help those suffering from addiction. That sort of work is not a quick fix, but “taking slow and methodic steps forward,” Bray said.

He added the provincial government is doing a lot through the Ministry of Health to address overdoses in Saskatchewan.

“While we’re doing that, we have to find a way to stop people from dying from their habit,” Bray said.