Overdose deaths in Quebec are on the rise, and the problem could get worse – CBC

Provinces like B.C., Alberta proof that ‘this is not a trajectory that comes down quickly,’ says expert\

Jun 17, 2025

The 911 caller was in a state of shock.

A little after 4 p.m. on Sunday Sept. 10, 2023, the caller stumbled upon a group of five people and most of them, if not all, looked either unconscious or dead.

According to Urgences-santé’s call records, the first team of paramedics arrived at the corner of Ontario and St-Dominique streets in downtown Montreal in two minutes and four seconds. At least four more ambulances and two advanced-care emergency vehicles followed soon after.

There was also a supervisor on site to help manage the chaos.

The final tally: six overdoses — not five — and two of them were fatal.

A scene like this one is rare.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/drug-overdose-deaths-quebec-1.7562870