As homelessness and addiction rates climb, Nanaimo grapples with a deepening divide over how to balance public safety and compassionate care
Author Archives: Alexandra Keeler
Alexandra Keeler is a Toronto-based reporter focused on covering mental health, drugs and addiction, crime and social issues. Alexandra has more than a decade of freelance writing experience.
Posted inDrugs
BC NDP, Conservatives’ drug policies converge in close election
The BC NDP and Conservatives have both pledged to introduce involuntary care for addicts as they contend for voter support on an unpopular issue
Posted inDrugs
Quebec’s drug landscape shifts with rise in opioid-related deaths
In Quebec, there has traditionally been a preference for stimulants over opioids. But researchers say this trend is shifting — to deadly effect
Posted inDrugs
B.C. parents powerless to help their addicted teens
Parents say the province’s safer supply program and youth treatment framework prevent them from getting help for their kids
Posted inDrugs
The new drug agency tasked with improving Canada’s medication practices
A recent report calls on the newly-created Canada’s Drug Agency to implement a strategy to improve prescription medication practices
Posted inHealth
Alberta’s recovery-focused addiction agency to address data gaps
The launch of Alberta’s Centre of Recovery Excellence comes as Ontario and Saskatchewan also shift to recovery-oriented models
Posted inCommunity
Ontario to close 10 safe consumption sites and open 19 recovery hubs
Ontario’s decision to close safe consumption sites near schools and daycares comes in the wake of a bystander’s death and class-action lawsuit
Posted inCommunity
Overdose surge in ByWard Market prompts new paramedic strategy
After Ottawa’s ByWard Market saw a 500 per cent increase in overdose calls, the city’s paramedic service responded with a new strategy
Posted inCommunity
Drug diversion spurs security overhaul in Ottawa crime ‘hot spot’
It has taken community-wide efforts for this Ottawa neighbourhood to address the knock-on effects of Ottawa’s safe supply program
Posted inHealth
‘Scared about smiling’: Suboxone’s dental risks spur class-action lawsuit
Suboxone is widely prescribed to treat opioid use disorder. Suboxone users are claiming the drug’s producers failed to warn them of the risks