Durham Region requesting funding boost from Ottawa and Queen’s Park to tackle homelessness, addictions and other public health issuesDurham Region is continuing its calls for help from upper tiers as homelessness remains high and the opioid crisis continues.
He also extended an invitation for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier Doug Ford meet with Regional Council.“We’ve seen cities and towns across Canada facing mental health, addictions and homelessness crises. And Durham Region is not immune. It’s a situation that requires the support of all three levels of government.
The situation is putting strain on our emergency services. From January 1 to February 11, the Region of Durham’s Paramedic Services fielded 127 calls for suspected opioid overdoses—72 more calls than this time frame in 2023. Sadly, most of these calls are from bystanders; individuals who are reacting to an overdose on our streets.