Ontario Sees Over 2,200 Opioid-Related Deaths in 2023 Despite Trending Downward
Ontario reports a 15% drop in opioid deaths for 2024, but experts warn the crisis remains severe and the decline may be temporary.
More than 2,200 Ontarians lost their lives to opioids last year, marking a significant 15 percent decline from 2023. The recently released figures from the Office of the Chief Coroner show a drop from 2,639 deaths in 2023 to 2,231 fatalities in 2024. While experts acknowledge this decrease as a positive development, many caution that the crisis remains severe and the underlying causes of the drop are not yet understood.
Dr. Dirk Huyer, Ontario’s chief coroner, described the situation as a “small degree of optimism” amid the persistent magnitude of the crisis. “We have seen less people die last year, which is very good, but that’s within a context of 2,231 people dying,” he said. At the same time, Huyer revealed concerns that the decline in deaths might be temporary. “I also have a degree of worry that this is a short interval, for whatever reason that we haven’t identified, and that the numbers could potentially get worse again,” he added.
The mortality rate for opioid overdoses in 2024 was 14.3 deaths per 100,000 people, down from a peak of 19.4 per 100,000 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. That year, opioids claimed the lives of 2,880 people in Ontario. The crisis continues to be fueled primarily by fentanyl and its analogues, which were detected in more than 83 percent of opioid toxicity deaths. Stimulants were present in 69 percent of cases. Prescription benzodiazepines showed a notable increase, being involved in 45 percent of deaths compared to 33 percent the previous year, while non-prescription benzodiazepines were found in 62 percent of deaths, a slight decline from 66 percent in 2023.
The province has faced a growing opioid problem since 2015, when illicit fentanyl began making its way into Ontario. Annual deaths doubled from 728 in 2015 to 1,565 by 2018, eventually peaking during the pandemic years. Despite the recent drop, the crisis’ impact remains widespread and devastating, especially among vulnerable populations.
Men continue to account for 75 percent of opioid-related deaths, with marginalized groups disproportionately affected. Notably, around one in five opioid overdose deaths occur in the homeless population, underscoring the intersection of addiction and housing instability in Ontario.
In response to the ongoing crisis, the Ministry of Health highlighted ongoing investments, stating that Ontario is “making it easier for people to break the tragic cycle of addiction by expanding access to safe and comprehensive mental health support.” A roadmap to wellness includes a $3.8 billion investment over 10 years, an addictions recovery fund worth $124 million, and new initiatives such as 500 addiction recovery beds, more than 32 youth wellness hubs, over 100 mobile crisis teams, and mobile clinics.
Despite these efforts, critics argue that the province’s approach has shifted away from harm reduction. Legislation enacted recently has banned supervised consumption sites situated near schools and daycares, following a tragic shooting incident outside a Toronto site. Legal challenges resulted in an injunction keeping 10 sites open for now, but nine have already transitioned to new abstinence-based models or closed entirely. The government is now investing $550 million to fund 28 Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) hubs and launch 540 new supportive housing units across Ontario.
Liberal health critic Adil Shamji expressed profound disappointment in the province’s measures, criticizing the new HART hubs as “underfunded, overwhelmed, and at a very immature stage where they’re not able to meet the demand.” Shamji called for more ambitious and coordinated public health leadership. “When you have the medical condition that touches on so many different people in so many different walks of life, it speaks to the need for a public health response and for leaders to come out with ambition, boldness and with the seriousness that it deserves,” he stressed.
The latest data from the Office of the Chief Coroner indicates 197 opioid deaths recorded in April, although officials caution that this figure is preliminary and will likely rise as investigations and toxicology reports are completed. With the causes behind the recent decline still unclear, many advocates and experts emphasize that the fight against Ontario’s opioid epidemic remains urgent and ongoing.
