Winnipeg organizations say they are running low on naloxone kits
Community organizations handing out naloxone kits say they are running low, but the province says the issue isn't because of access to the drug.
The province told CTV News it is transitioning to a new supplier for the kits and the back orders have to do with a brief supply issue which has delayed shipping.
Oliver Munroe and his partner make sure to always carry naloxone.
"It could be anywhere, Polo Park, St. Vital. Something is going to happen and you're there to respond really quickly, because we know how it is when people (overdose)," said Munroe.
Naloxone is used to help reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, but Munroe said it has been hard to find lately.
"We phoned everywhere, different places. We Googled it to see where they are free."
Resource Assistance for Youth (RAY) typically gets 400 kits to give out for free each month. At the moment, they have about 60 left.
Breda Vosters, the director of grants and information for RAY, said the organization is rationing because its next order from the province's take-home naloxone program isn't expected until next week or the week after.
"But we can go through 60 kits in a day. So what that means for us is that we are going to hit a point where we can't supply anymore of these kits and what that means for substance users is that their risk of deadly overdose is going to skyrocket," said Vosters.
Vosters said RAY isn't the only community group that is short, noting summer is a time where drug use is up.
"There is no bad time for a shortage in supply, but now is a very bad time."
In a statement to CTV News, the province said there is no shortage of naloxone itself, but there is procurement and supply chain issues with different components of the kit.
"Manitoba Health is expecting supply to start arriving this week and over the next several weeks to help fulfil any back orders and anticipated future orders," a spokesperson said in an email.
Vosters said RAY relies on the provincial program, but would also like to see more action on overdose prevention like safe injection sites and clean supply.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Explosion at train station leads to discovery of stolen car on Montreal's South Shore: police
Police are investigating after a BMW exploded in the St-Lambert Exo train station parking lot on Montreal's South Shore.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
There's progress reported in Gaza truce talks, but Israel downplays chances of ending war with Hamas
A delegation of the Palestinian militant group Hamas was in Cairo on Saturday as Egyptian state media reported "noticeable progress" in cease-fire talks with Israel, though an Israeli official downplayed the prospects for a full end to the war in Gaza.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
A candidate for Germany's key party was beaten up while campaigning for European elections
A candidate for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left party in next month's election for the European Parliament was beaten up and seriously injured while campaigning in an eastern city, the party said Saturday.