The Addiction Crisis in Oshawa

Oshawa is the epicentre of the opioid crisis in Durham Region. The city's mayor declared a public health crisis in May 2025, citing violence and unlawful behaviour linked to mental health and addiction issues reaching a breaking point, and called on the province to fund a dedicated mental health and addictions emergency ward at Lakeridge Health. Emergency crews responded to over 350 overdoses in Oshawa in the year prior to that declaration. Durham Region recorded 97 opioid-related deaths in 2024, up from 29 in 2015. In April 2026, the Ontario government launched a new Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hub in Oshawa — one of two HART hubs planned for the city — providing integrated primary healthcare, addiction treatment, mental health support, social services, employment assistance, and supportive housing as part of a $550 million, 28-hub provincial strategy.

Canada recorded approximately 7,560 apparent opioid toxicity deaths in 2023 (PHAC) and an estimated 7,300 in 2024, before a significant 23% decline brought the 2025 national total to 5,630 deaths — the first substantial multi-year decline since the crisis intensified. Despite this progress, Canada's top doctor called deaths "unacceptably high." Three provinces — Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta — account for 78% of all opioid deaths nationally. The decline is attributed to changes in the illegal drug supply and broader naloxone availability and use, though emergency medical services responses to suspected overdoses actually increased by 9% in 2025, suggesting more people are surviving individual overdose events.

01. What is happening in Oshawa

02. A crisis that did not start this month

Ontario recorded 2,639 opioid deaths in 2023 and 2,231 opioid deaths in 2024 — a 15 percent decrease year-over-year, though still above pre-pandemic levels. The mortality rate fell from a peak of 19.4 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021 to 14.3 per 100,000 in 2024. Fentanyl and related substances were detected in more than 83 percent of opioid toxicity deaths. Stimulants were present in 69 percent of deaths, and prescription benzodiazepines appeared in 45 percent — sharply up from 33 percent in 2023, reflecting a more complex and dangerous toxic drug supply. Men account for 75 percent of deaths, and one in five opioid overdose deaths occurs in the homeless population. For the three months from February to April 2026, Ontario recorded 639 suspect drug-related deaths. Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta together account for 78 percent of all opioid deaths nationally.

03. Why is it getting worse?

Key drivers of the crisis in Oshawa and Durham Region include: (1) Fentanyl and its analogues, present in over 83% of opioid deaths, dominating the unregulated drug supply. (2) Polysubstance toxicity — stimulants in 69% of deaths and a sharp rise in prescription benzodiazepines (to 45% in 2024) creating unpredictable and more lethal combinations. (3) High rates of homelessness and housing insecurity — one in five opioid deaths occurs in the homeless population, and Oshawa's unhoused community is concentrated downtown. (4) Inadequate local treatment infrastructure — the absence of an emergency mental health and addictions ward at Lakeridge Health has been a focal point of the mayor's advocacy. (5) Social and economic marginalization in a post-industrial city with high unemployment pockets. (6) Rural and suburban service gaps — Durham Region is large and services are concentrated in Oshawa, leaving outlying communities underserved. (7) Stigma reducing help-seeking, particularly among men who account for 75% of Ontario deaths.

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:

• Oshawa mayor 'disappointed' Ontario budget left out addictions, mental health emergency ward for cityCBC News · 2025
• Oshawa mayor calls on province to build emergency mental health and addictions ward amid public health crisisCTV News · 2025
• Ontario building new Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment Hub in OshawaOntario Newsroom · April 2026
• Opioid crisis in Oshawa and Durham needs action with no 'one-size-fits-all' solution availableINdurham · 2024
• Opioid deaths dropped 23% in 2025 — bringing 'cautious optimism' from Canada's top doctorCBC News · 2026
• More than 2,200 died of opioids in Ontario last year as numbers trend downward: dataCBC News · 2025