Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre addressed concerns that a fentanyl crisis may be coming to Montreal, saying the city has an action plan to deal with fentanyl and overdoses.
Coderre said the solution would be a coordinated effort between all three levels of government as well as outreach groups.
Fentanyl is an inexpensive opioid considerably more powerful than heroin. It is often mixed with other drugs, unbeknownst to the user.
In Vancouver, fentanyl is now killing more than one person a day on average.
Montreal's mayor said he wants the city to be prepared for a possible increase in overdoses that could include providing police officers with Naloxone, a nasal spay that works as an antidote for people who are overdosing.
He said at the heart of the plan is prevention, through outreach to drug users.
“We're talking about those supervised injection sites as one of the solution because you need to outreach you need to educate and make sure that we prevent the worst,” he said.
On Friday two men were found dead in a car in Montreal of an apparent overdose. An autopsy will determine whether fentanyl was a factor.
