The Addiction Crisis in Markham

Markham, Ontario is part of York Region, which York Region Public Health confirms has seen opioid-related harms — including emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and deaths — increase over the last decade. No Markham-specific city-level opioid death counts are publicly reported separately from York Region aggregate data, so city-level figures are not available. Fentanyl is present in the vast majority of opioid-related deaths in the region. York Region Public Health launched an updated Opioid Action Plan in 2024 with 20 actions across six focus areas. In 2025, a Markham resident was among eight people charged in a York Region drug trafficking investigation (Project Endless) that seized raw fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, MDMA, and illicit cannabis — illustrating the active illicit supply chain reaching the city. Harm reduction and treatment services are available in Markham through ASCO (9249 Kennedy Rd), Ontario Addiction Treatment Centres (175 Commerce Valley Dr W), and via ConnexOntario's 24/7 referral line.

Canada recorded approximately 5,630 apparent opioid toxicity deaths in 2025 (PHAC), and a cumulative 56,631 deaths between January 2016 and December 2025. In 2023, the national total was approximately 7,560 (PHAC baseline). A 17.1% national decline was reported in 2024, though deaths remain far above pre-2020 levels, and an average of 20 Canadians per day still died of opioid toxicity in 2024. British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario together account for 78% of all Canadian opioid deaths. The decline is real but fragile: previous periods of improvement (notably 2019) were followed by a 72% surge in deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador both saw increases in 2024, underscoring that the crisis is not receding uniformly.

01. What is happening in Markham

Note: City-specific data for Markham 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 and 2,231 in 2024 — a 15% year-over-year decline, though still well above pre-pandemic levels. The 2024 mortality rate was 14.3 deaths per 100,000 residents, down from the pandemic peak of 19.4 per 100,000 in 2021. Fentanyl and related substances were detected in more than 83% of opioid toxicity deaths in 2024. Prescription benzodiazepines appeared in 45% of deaths in 2024, up sharply from 33% in 2023, reflecting a growing polydrug crisis. Men account for 75% of opioid deaths, and one in five deaths occurs in the homeless population. Between 2018 and 2022, deaths involving three or more substances increased by 186%, pointing to an increasingly complex toxic drug supply. Ontario accounts for a significant share of Canada's national total of approximately 5,630 apparent opioid toxicity deaths in 2025 (PHAC), with Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta together representing 78% of all Canadian opioid deaths.

03. Why is it getting worse?

The crisis in Markham and York Region is driven by several intersecting factors. The illicit drug supply has become dominated by fentanyl and its analogues, present in over 83% of Ontario opioid deaths and described by York Region Public Health as present in the "vast majority" of local deaths. Polydrug use is accelerating the death toll: between 2018 and 2022 in Ontario, deaths involving three or more substances rose 186%, and benzodiazepines now appear in nearly half of all opioid deaths. York Region is a high-density suburban area with a large and growing population, substantial immigrant communities, and commuter demographics that can limit access to downtown harm-reduction infrastructure. A confirmed active drug trafficking network in the region — including a 2025 bust involving raw fentanyl supply chains — shows the illicit supply is well-established. Social isolation, housing instability, and gaps in culturally appropriate addiction care further compound risk, particularly for marginalized and newcomer populations.

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 downward: dataCBC News · 2025
• Overdose deaths in Ontario increasingly involve more than one drug, new report saysCP24 · 2025-01-09
• Markham resident among 8 charged in York Region drug trafficking bustNewmarket Today · 2025
• Reported drug toxicity deaths dropped in parts of Canada in 2024 — but what's behind the numbers?CATIE · 2025-08-01
• Key findings: Opioid- and Stimulant-related Harms in CanadaPublic Health Agency of Canada · 2026
• Opioids — York Region Public HealthYork Region · 2026