Northwestern Ontario’s uphill battle against opioid addiction – TVO.org
The province has pledged millions to fight the opioid crisis, but only a fraction of that will go to the North
Oct 13, 2017
THUNDER BAY — Those who have been fighting the opioid crisis in northwestern Ontario for more than a decade say that while they have seen some progress, the situation remains critical — and they’re not getting adequate support from the provincial or federal governments.
Elizabeth Atlookan was the health director of Eabametoong First Nation (also known as Fort Hope) in 2010, when “epidemic” misuse of prescription opioids prompted its leadership to declare a state of emergency. At the time, she estimated that between 70 and 80 per cent of adults in her community, located 360 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay, were in some stage of addiction.
The declaration came a year after the Nishnawbe Aski Nation, which represents 49 First Nations in Ontario’s far north, declared a region-wide state of emergency.
