Drug Overdoses in Ottawa’s ByWard Market District Surged by Over 200 Percent in 2023

A drug syringe and nasal overdose prevention drug can be seen near a popular drug spot in Ottawa on June 25, 2020. Lars Hagberg/AFP via Getty Images

Ottawa police have reported a major increase in drug overdose cases in 2023 in a neighbourhood adjacent to Parliament Hill, with calls for police service rising by more than 200 percent.

Overdose-related calls in the ByWard Market neighbourhood, a retail and entertainment district in the downtown core, surged to 467 last year, up from 144 in from the previous year, according to data from Ottawa police. The increase is more substantial when compared to the earliest available data from 2018, when 77 overdose cases were recorded.

A similar trend of increased overdose calls also occurred in Centretown, another neighbourhood adjacent to Parliament Hill, where the number surged by 127 percent to a high of 182 calls in 2023, according to Ottawa police.

The Ottawa Paramedic Service (OPS) recently developed a pilot project to address the overdose crisis in ByWard Market, Chief Pierre Poirier told The Epoch Time in an Aug. 28 email statement.

Initiated in July, the project involves the deployment of a full-time paramedic to the area, Prior said, which aims to provide rapid onsite response to calls and strengthen relationships with the community.

OPS reported a “significant increase” in 911 calls for suspected cardiac arrests in ByWard Market from 2019 to 2023, a trend it linked in part to a rise in substance abuse.

When asked about the suspected causes of the increased level of overdoses in ByWard Market and Centretown, Ottawa Public Health (OPH) referred the The Epoch Times to community-based organizations serving those neighbourhoods, including Sandy Hill Community Health Centre and the Centretown Community Health Centre.

“The loss of life due to substance use is compounded by interrelated challenges of harmful childhood experiences, poverty, increasing mental health concerns, the growing number of people experiencing homelessness, and the increased toxicity of the unregulated drug supply,” an OPH spokesperson said in an Aug. 28 email statement. “Effectively addressing the overdose crisis requires a multi-faceted response.”

The City of Ottawa has reported a rise in suspected drug overdose-related deaths in recent years, peaking at 291 in 2023. As of Aug. 12 this year, there have been 188 suspected overdose-related deaths recorded in the city.

The Ontario government recently intensified its efforts to address public safety concerns related to drug use by banning supervised drug consumption sites from operating within 200 meters of schools and child care centres. When announcing the ban on Aug. 20, provincial Health Minister Sylvia Jones highlighted concerns raised by parents and businesses.

Ontario has 22 supervised drug consumption sites, according to Health Canada. The minister said about nine of those sites will be closed as a result of the ban. One of the sites is located a few blocks from ByWard Market, while another is situated at the Sandy Hill Community Health Centre.

Chandra Philip contributed to this report.