The Addiction Crisis in Ajax

Ajax is a town of roughly 130,000 in Durham Region, Ontario. No Ajax-specific opioid death counts are publicly reported at the municipal level. The Durham Region Opioid Information System (DROIS) is the closest granular source: Durham Region recorded 97 opioid-related deaths in 2024, up from 29 in 2015, and emergency department visits due to opioid overdose reached 544 in 2024, up from 231 in 2015. Ajax itself made news in mid-2026 when the Ajax HUB — a low-barrier drop-in centre serving the unsheltered community since the pandemic — announced it would close on June 26, 2026. The closure comes as Durham Region's homeless count surged 77% in eight months to 1,778 people on the by-name list. HUB users frequently needed support for mental health and addiction; the region is redirecting them to two provincial Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) hubs. Local harm reduction services remain available through ConnexOntario, the John Howard Society, Project X-Change Outreach, and JACS youth addiction programs.

Canada recorded approximately 7,560 apparent opioid toxicity deaths in 2023, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). The federal government has committed to ongoing intervention through the Emergency Treatment Fund and targeted provincial initiatives. Fentanyl dominates the illicit supply nationally, and the growing presence of benzodiazepines in the drug supply represents an emerging and particularly dangerous trend because standard naloxone doses do not reverse benzodiazepine toxicity.

01. What is happening in Ajax

Note: City-specific data for Ajax is limited. Figures reflect Ontario-wide trends.

02. A crisis that did not start this month

Ontario recorded approximately 2,639 opioid toxicity deaths in 2023 and more than 2,200 in 2024 — a roughly 15% decline year-over-year, though rates remain well above pre-pandemic levels. Fentanyl or fentanyl analogues were present in more than 83% of opioid toxicity deaths. Prescription benzodiazepines appeared in 45% of 2024 deaths, up sharply from 33% the prior year, reflecting a more toxic and unpredictable illicit supply. Men account for approximately 75% of deaths. One in five opioid overdose deaths in Ontario occurs among people experiencing homelessness. Youth are also affected: nonmedical use of prescription opioid pain relievers among Ontario students rose from 12.7% in 2021 to 21.8% in 2023. In March 2026 Health Canada announced over $5 million from the Emergency Treatment Fund for six Ontario projects, adding to $30.4 million for 29 Ontario projects announced since October 2025.

03. Why is it getting worse?

1. Toxic illicit drug supply: fentanyl or analogues present in 83%+ of Ontario opioid deaths; increasingly adulterated with benzodiazepines (45% of 2024 deaths), making overdoses harder to reverse with naloxone alone. 2. Homelessness and housing instability: Durham Region's homeless count rose 77% in eight months; one in five Ontario opioid deaths occurs among people experiencing homelessness. Closure of the Ajax HUB in June 2026 removes a key low-barrier access point. 3. Mental health co-morbidity: HUB data shows most users needed concurrent mental health and addiction support — a gap the HUB was not resourced to fill. 4. Youth vulnerability: Ontario student nonmedical opioid use nearly doubled between 2021 and 2023. 5. Rural and suburban service gaps: geographic disparities mean suburban communities like Ajax have fewer harm reduction services than urban centres, creating access barriers to naloxone, withdrawal management, and treatment.

04. Where hope still lives

Communities across Ontario are responding with naloxone distribution, harm reduction programs, and peer support networks. Every person trained in naloxone use is a potential life saved.

05. In the news

The reporting behind this page:

• Key Ajax support hub to close as Durham's homeless population jumps 77% in 8 monthsCBC News · 2026-06
• The Ajax HUB is closing, emergency shelter services continueDurham Radio News · 2026-06
• Homeless support HUB in Ajax closing June 26insauga.com · 2026-06
• More than 2,200 died of opioids in Ontario last year as numbers trend downwardCBC News · 2025
• Responding to urgent substance use and addictions needs across OntarioHealth Canada · 2026-03
• Ajax encampment prompts call for more shelter space in Durham RegionCBC News · 2025