The Addiction Crisis in Burlington

Burlington, Ontario sits within Halton Region, which consistently reports opioid-related death rates significantly below the provincial average. In 2024, Halton's rate was 4.4 deaths per 100,000 residents, compared to Ontario's 13.8 per 100,000. The rate of emergency department visits for confirmed opioid overdose in Halton was 24.2 per 100,000 in 2024, versus 76.2 provincially. From 2015 through 2024, Halton's opioid death rate has been consistently lower than Ontario's, though the crisis remains a live public health concern. Harm reduction services in Burlington include Exchange Works (Halton's needle exchange program), with a fixed site at Health@3350 on Fairview Street, and Horizons Opioid Treatment Service providing opioid agonist therapy. No Burlington-specific municipal overdose count data was found in search results; Halton Region-level figures are the most granular available.

Canada recorded approximately 7,560 apparent opioid toxicity deaths in 2023, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). A reported 23 percent national decline occurred in 2025, bringing cautious optimism from Canada's Chief Public Health Officer, though health advocates caution that structural factors — contaminated supply, inadequate treatment access, housing instability — remain unaddressed. Fentanyl and its analogues drive the majority of deaths across all provinces.

01. What is happening in Burlington

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

02. A crisis that did not start this month

Ontario recorded 2,639 opioid toxicity deaths in 2023, declining to 2,231 in 2024 — a 15 percent reduction, though still well above pre-pandemic levels. Fentanyl or its analogues were present in more than 83 percent of 2024 deaths; prescription benzodiazepines appeared in 45 percent of deaths, up sharply from 33 percent in 2023. Men account for 75 percent of deaths, and one in five opioid overdose deaths in Ontario occurs within the homeless population. The province closed nine supervised consumption sites in March 2025 and defunded seven more in 2026, replacing them with abstinence-based HART (Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment) hubs. Following the March 2025 closures, EMS calls for suspected opioid overdose rose 82 percent by January 2026 (from 160 calls in April 2025 to 350 in January 2026), and Ontario-wide emergency department opioid visits rose 67 percent. Nationally, Canada recorded approximately 7,560 apparent opioid toxicity deaths in 2023 (PHAC), with a reported 23 percent national decline in 2025.

03. Why is it getting worse?

Key drivers of the opioid crisis in Burlington and Halton Region include: (1) a contaminated illicit drug supply dominated by fentanyl (present in 83%+ of Ontario deaths) and increasingly laced with benzodiazepines, making accidental overdose far more likely; (2) post-pandemic social isolation and mental health deterioration, particularly among seniors and youth; (3) the 2025–2026 closure of Ontario's supervised consumption sites, which correlates with an 82 percent rise in EMS overdose calls province-wide; (4) rural and suburban service gaps — Halton's lower death rate partly reflects its higher-income suburban character, but harm reduction infrastructure remains limited relative to urban centres; (5) stigma reducing help-seeking, particularly in suburban communities like Burlington where open drug use is less visible but private, isolated use remains a risk.

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:

• More than 2,200 died of opioids in Ontario last year as numbers trend downwardCBC News · 2025
• Opioid deaths dropped 23% in 2025 — bringing 'cautious optimism' from Canada's top doctorCBC News · 2026
• Ontarians fear increased deaths as clock ticks down for consumption sitesCBC News · 2025-2026
• Ontario is closing its supervised consumption sites, calling them a failure. So what counts as success?The Conversation · 2025
• Responding to urgent substance use and addictions needs across OntarioHealth Canada · 2026-03
• Ontario's opioid-related deaths remain above pre-pandemic levelsGlobal News · 2023