Why Winnipeg’s mayor, city councillors are now trained to administer naloxone

Winnipeg’s mayor and some city councillors are now trained to administer naloxone if they encounter someone overdosing on opioids.

Mayor Scott Gillingham and several councillors received training Monday to administer the fast-acting drug used to temporarily reverse the effects of opioid overdoses.

The mayor said the decision to get trained came after hearing from frontline workers about the amount of opioids on the streets.

Gillingham said if their training is used even once to save a life, it will have been worth it.

“I think even more so just as decision-makers, having the understanding of just the prevalence of opioids in our city and other drugs in our city, and the impact they're having,” he said.

“When we get reports from our frontline workers, like our paramedics, or firefighters and our police officers, about the workload, their calls for service and what they're seeing - this gives an indication why they're seeing those increased calls for service,” he said.

Coun. Matt Allard (St. Boniface) is shown in this Jan. 30, 2023 photo learning to administer naloxone - the fast-acting drug used to reverse the effects of opioid overdoses. (Source: Scott Andersson/CTV News Winnipeg)

According to numbers from the city’s website, the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service has administered naloxone to over 30 patients so far in 2023.

The training was open to all city council members, as well as their executive assistants.

They were also briefed on community drug trends, drug response statistics and the signs and symptoms of a drug overdose.

SAFE CONSUMPTION SITES

When asked about the possibility of opening a safe consumption site in Winnipeg, Gillingham said while he was not opposed to the idea, it’s up to the province to take the lead.

Manitoba’s current five-year plan to combat addiction focuses on a ‘recovery-oriented system of care,’ including treatment spaces and Rapid Access to Addictions Medicine (RAAM) clinics. It does not include safe recovery sites.

When the plan was unveiled in November, mental health and community wellness minister Sarah Guillemard said the province is also looking at data from other jurisdictions, including those that offer supervised consumption services.

- With files from CTV's Jon Hendricks

Naloxone is the fast-acting drug used to temporarily reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. According to the federal government, naloxone kits, such as the one pictured, have successfully reversed thousands of overdoses across Canada. (Source: Scott Andersson/CTV News Winnipeg)