Sault still among deadliest cities for opioids: Chief Coroner

Sault Ste. Marie continues to be more negatively impacted by opioid-related deaths than most of the province — and was worst in Ontario for the last quarter of 2022, according to newly released data.

The Office of the Chief Coroner released its most recent update on opioid-related deaths in the province and the local data shows only a minor improvement in the 2022 death rate when compared to the previous year.

An estimated 55 confirmed and probable opioid toxicity deaths were recorded in 2022 in Algoma and Sault Ste. Marie, compared to 58 in the previous year. 

That is a rate of about 48 deaths per 100,000 people in the Algoma Public Health unit, versus 51 in 2021. 

The overall rate in the region served by Algoma Public Health is third highest in the province, and much higher than the Ontario average of 17.6 deaths per 100,000.

When looking at only the city of Sault Ste. Marie, that rate is 61.1 per 100,000 people for 2022, second worst in the province behind only Thunder Bay.

In the final quarter of 2022, the Algoma Public Health unit led the province with the worst death rate, with 14.1 deaths recorded per 100,000 people.

Of those 55 local deaths recorded in 2022, 44 of were in Sault Ste. Marie, with the balance spread out in other parts of Algoma Region. Three deaths were recorded in Garden River First Nation, while Blind River and Elliot Lake each had two deaths in 2022.

The Thunder Bay District and Sudbury and District public health units recorded the highest death rates in Ontario for 2022, each with 56 deaths per 100,000. The Algoma Public Health unit rated third-highest in the province.

Looking at the province-wide data for 2022, fentanyl and fentanyl analogues account for 84 per cent of the opioid toxicity deaths in Ontario, a drop of about 5 per cent from the previous year. Gaining ground is carfentanil, responsible for 7.6 per cent of deaths versus 4.3 per cent in 2021.

Individuals age 30 to 59 accounted for 74 per cent of the deaths in the province in 2022. Men have accounted for three out of every four opioid toxicity deaths since the start of the pandemic.