Let's focus on protecting our young ones. And I don't know why we are where we are.īut let's move forward. Our veterans fought for freedom in this province. You don't pay taxes.' All of that is not true. But you know, over all the years that we've been around, the focus has been on … They always say, 'You don't matter. You live for free. How does the number of opioid-related poisonings and deaths among First Nations compare to non-First Nations people? The opioids, the drug world, is out of control. Why can we not admit that it's a pandemic? Let's focus on this now. We need partnerships to address the crisis in this province. So our reports that we have out there outline that we need more partners.

When a crisis hits our communities, it's 'we need to study this.' We know what the problem is. One of the things I believe is we're studied out. Here's an edited transcript of that conversation: Why are First Nations disproportionately impacted by this? Hare spoke with CBC News about the reports, and what he thinks needs to be done. Mobile users: View the document (PDF KB) (Text KB) CBC is not responsible for 3rd party content 'The COVID-19 pandemic emerged amid an opioid crisis in our communities,' said Hare, who is from M'Chigeeng First Nation on Manitoulin Island. The opioid crisis in First Nations communities is a pandemic of its own, said Glen Hare, Ontario regional chief with the Chiefs of Ontario. The reports also said First Nations communities need more access to harm reduction services, including naloxone and addictions treatment. Of those, 87 per cent were fentanyl-related, while cocaine contributed to two of every four deaths and methamphetamines contributed to one-third. In the first year of the pandemic, one of the reports says, there was a 132 per cent increase in deaths related to opioid poisoning among Indigenous people. The studies from the Chiefs of Ontario and the Ontario Drug Policy Research Network show a 68 per cent increase in opioid-related deaths among non-Indigenous people during the pandemic, but a much higher proportion of fatalities among Indigenous people.

A pair of new reports show that opioid-related deaths among First Nations people in the province increased 132 per cent during the COVID-19 pandemic, and an Ontario regional chief says governments need to work with Indigenous communities to help fix the problem.

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