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Halton Police issues public alert on drug poisonings in the region

Public alert issued after Halton Police responded to the largest drug overdose cluster calls in one single night.
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Halton Police is issuing a Public Alert across the region after it responded to five non-fatal and unintentional overdoses over the night of Oct. 21-22, 2021.

The police responded to four of the drug poisonings in Oakville and another one in Burlington.

According to Halton Regional Police Service, ‘this was the largest cluster of suspected overdose-related calls since the beginning of the pandemic.” HRPS attended 33 cases of overdoses in October, including 13 in the past week alone.

Three of the five overdoses were linked to the use of Fentanyl. HRPS highlighted further the use of purple Fentanyl in two of the drug poisonings.

All the victims were successfully revived due to combined efforts by the bystanders, police, EMS and Fire first responder partners. Naloxone and CPR were administered as well to the victims.

HRPS continues to advise drug users the following:

  • Not to use drugs alone.
  • Download the Brave App, which aims to connect people at risk of overdose with the help they need.
  • Use a small amount of a drug first to know the tolerance level.
  • Carry Naloxone, which is a drug that can temporarily reverse an opioid overdose.
  • Call 9-1-1 in case of an overdose.

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