Regina has hit triple digits in drug overdoses for the third straight year.
As of the end of October and City has seen 102 deaths related to drug overdoses after police reported 12 apparent drug deaths in the month.
That number is down compared to last year, when the City saw 118 deaths related to drug overdoses by the end of October.
Regina Police Chief Evan Bray said that drug overdoses continue to be a significant stress in the community, but they have seen some positives.
“Number one, we’ve created a better conversation,” he said. “The public understands the challenge we have in the community. Along with that, efforts on harm reduction are up much higher than they’ve ever been, and there is much more buy-in for harm reduction.”
While harm reduction has seen positives, Bray said much work is left to be done.
“Harm reduction prevents people from dying while solutions to a health-related problem need to be found. We still need to find a long-term sustainable solution from a health perspective to help those who suffer from addictions.”
Another way the police are helping the City’s overdoes problem is more enforcement of drug trafficking.
“Police stopping the trafficking and the importation of large quantities of illicit drugs is one part of the solution, but we still have sick people in the community who have a substance use disorder,” he added. “We have to find a way to help them long term. Harm reduction is a good fix in the short term, but it doesn’t get us to where we need to go.”
Regina is on pace to see 122 drug overdose deaths, which would be a decrease from a last-years record high of 160.