More opioid fatalities have medical, law enforcement and social support organizations calling on the incoming Yukon government for more action.

Dr. Brendan Hanley, the territory’s chief medical officer of health, and chief coroner Heather Jones are calling for swift action in response to two additional opioid overdose deaths earlier this month.

These deaths bring the number of Yukoners who have died of an opioid overdose this year to seven in fewer than four months.

Five of those cases had been previously announced. No details on the latest cases were provided.

Jones and Hanley spoke at a news conference Thursday morning, along with other officials.

“Forty individuals have died since 2016 over opioid-related deaths,” Jones said.

“I see a broad range of who’s being affected. People from all parts of our society.”

Increasingly powerful types of drugs are being seen in the Yukon, Jones said.

“Most of these are respiratory depressants, causing breathing problems and often death.

“From what we’re seeing, the drug supply in the Yukon is becoming more and more unstable and dangerous.

“The Yukon, like many jurisdictions in Canada, continues to navigate through the tragic loss of lives due to toxic illicit drugs,” the coroner added.

“In these early months of 2021, seven more Yukon families are suffering the devastation of losing their loved ones to opioid-involved deaths.

“Our communities are grieving,” Jones added.

“We can no longer be blinded by the stigma surrounding drug use and overdoses. We must recognize that without a safe drug supply, the risk to individual users is extreme and the heartbreak will continue.”

Chief Doris Bill of the Kwanlin Dün First Nation also spoke briefly and poignantly.

“I only wish we didn’t have to gather for this purpose again,” she said. “It’s a sad day hearing of two more opioid deaths in the Yukon.

“There have been too many people,” the chief said. “We’ve seen this can happen to anyone who tries a substance that hasn’t been tested.

“It’s not just addicts that have been affected. Opioids do not discriminate; overdoses do not discriminate.”

Bill said she felt as if she’s been “saying the same things for a long, long time.

“This is a crisis, and it’s not going away. We know that drug use is not going away, and we know that harm-reduction measures can save lives.

“We need swift action to put safe consumption sites and other harm-reduction measures in place for the safety of all Yukoners,” Bill added.

“Let’s work together so we never have to meet like this again.”

Hanley shared Jones’ concerns.

“The coroner’s words are worth reiterating,” he said. “We’re seeing a sharp increase in deaths from cases related to fentanyl. So far, these numbers aren’t looking better, perhaps worse.

“The pace of opioid deaths is continuing at a terrifying rate,” Hanley added. “We also continue to see many overdose visits to emergency and to paramedics.”

Hanley said cocaine “remains a very popular drug of choice.

“After cannabis, it’s the most commonly found drug. It might seem like we’re fighting a losing battle, but the opioid crisis would have been much worse if it weren’t for the efforts (of various programs) and action, including Naloxone.”

Hanley said it’s time for a new substance abuse plan that doesn’t just address opioids but drug and alcohol use in general.

“Alcohol kills many more people, and has done so for decades. Now is the time, with an incoming government, to address this.”

Hanley said now is the time to carry some swift research into how creating a safe supply of drugs could work in the Yukon.

The idea has had some success in other parts of Canada, he added, and is worth considering here.

In conjunction with this, he said, the concept of safe sites or overdose prevention sites for drug use should be explored.

“By bringing people to a safe place to use drugs, they’re no longer using drugs alone or away from care and repeatedly with these deaths we see the majority of people using drugs alone.

“This may seem like it’s endorsing or supporting drug use, but in fact what happens is that overdoses are prevented and that people are connected to supports like counselling and access to treatment,” Hanley added.

“It’s an idea that’s been around for years, and I think we need to try this out.”

Later, he was questioned about how the public would respond to this idea and whether it includes a complementary public education program about the rationale behind establishing such sites.

Hanley merely said “community consultation” is an important factor to be considered.

It’s worked elsewhere in Canada, and public opposition hasn’t been as great as it might have been, he said.

In late 2020, Pauline Frost, the outgoing minister of Health and Social Services, indicated the government would explore the development of the safe site concept, but no further details were ever announced.

Hanley also called for the decriminalization of drug use, since it’s created discrimination leading to a reluctance to admit it publicly and seek treatment for.

Jones and Hanley said “substance use disorders are complex issues that require comprehensive and multi-faceted approaches to meet the needs of Yukoners struggling with substance use and addiction.”

“This is a persistent public health crisis that has been overshadowed by COVID-19,” Hanley reiterated.

“Since January 2020, we have seen 17 opioid deaths in Yukon; 16 since the COVID-19 pandemic began and seven in the first four months of this year.”

Insp. Lindsay Ellis, the detachment commander of the Whitehorse RCMP, told the news conference “we have confirmation that carfentanyl is here in the Yukon.”

It can be found in nearly every community in the territory, along with fentanyl, she added.

Enforcement should be a last resort, Ellis said.

“I do remain hopeful we will find innovative solutions to these problems.”