Canada’s Opioid Crisis: Causes, Challenges, and the Path to Healing

Canada is dealing with an extreme opioid crisis, with painkillers like oxycodone and hydromorphone, synthetic opioids like fentanyl and illicit drugs like heroin flooding the market.

After nearly a decade of drug use raging through the country, almost 35,000 lives—many of them young—have been taken because of the opioid crisis. As the epidemic persists and the death rate continues to rise and claim lives, the situation has become accepted as a “new normal” part of everyday reality. The incredible number of lost lives makes the drug toxicity crisis one of Canada’s most devastating public health emergencies and has far-reaching implications across every province and territory.

Now more than ever, as the country strives to reduce the risks and harms that are claiming lives, it’s crucial to understand the health, safety and social impacts of the opioid crisis, fentanyl addiction, and the challenges standing in the way of recovery.

What are opioids?

Opioids are substances with pain‑relieving properties available in pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical forms and include compounds extracted from opium poppy seeds. For example, many common pharmaceutical opioids are approved as prescription pain medication, such as codeine, morphine, hydromorphone, tramadol, oxycodone, fentanyl and diacetylmorphine.

While these drugs are legally prescribed and used in hospitals and medical settings across the country, they are also used and abused for non-medical purposes. However, the most harmful substances, such as fentanyl, fentanyl analogues and nitazenes, are non-pharmaceutical and illegally manufactured. These “street” drugs are widely available in Canada’s unregulated opioid street drug supply. Known as synthetic opioids, these highly potent drugs are often unknowingly consumed with deadly results.

What caused the opioid crisis?

Since the 1980s, Canada has experienced a dramatic increase in the over-prescribing of opioids, resulting in more reports of harm and a notable increase in the use of non-prescription and synthetic opioids. The 1990s – 2000s saw a marked increase in aggressive marketing, stating opioid use was a safe and non-addictive drug for pain treatment. We now know this was deadly false advertising.

With a lack of awareness around opioid drug addiction, by 2016, the nation felt the full effect of the opioid-related drug epidemic, with eight Canadians dying every single day. According to the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse and Addiction, from January 2016 (the first year Canadian statistics examining opioid deaths were established) to September 2022, approximately 34,400 people in Canada died from apparent opioid toxicity deaths, many involving other stimulants or substances. This number is more than any other cause of major accidental death. 

The latest statistics from the National Institute of Health show that in the first six months of 2022, there were 3,556 Canadians who died from opioid toxicity. These deaths have noticeably slowed trends in life expectancy and set off a public health emergency.

The complex challenges of the opioid crisis

This crisis has affected Canadians from all levels of society, although its harmful reach has not touched people equally. Those with mental illness, men, and Indigenous peoples (who routinely experience systemic inequality) have all been disproportionately harmed.

The current opioid crisis is a result of complex and challenging factors that include:

• A lack of understanding surrounding the addictive risk of prescription opioids
• Overprescribing of opioids in Canada
• Use of medical opioids by those other than the prescribed individuals
• Social factors such as a lack of employment options and access to secure and safe housing
• Psychological factors like PTSD, trauma, poverty, and early life experiences
• Biological risk factors like mental health, depression, genetics, and other adverse health issues
• The stigma surrounding drug abuse, addiction and substance abuse disorder
• Fear of judgment and feelings of shame prevent people from seeking help
• Lack of access or awareness of alternative pain treatment
• Long wait times and geographic barriers, especially for Indigenous peoples in rural communities
• Illegal street drugs laced with fatal amounts of fentanyl
• A lack of accessible and comprehensive mental and physical health care
• A lack of available and affordable drug treatment centres specializing in opioid abuse

The COVID‑19 pandemic worsened outcomes with reduced access to mental health supports and services, harm reduction and treatment services. At the same time, disruptions to the unregulated drug supply, along with unpredictable dosing and contents of fentanyl toxicity, led to increased overdoses. During the critical two-year period of the COVID‑19 pandemic, death rates attributed to opioid toxicity increased by 91 percent—the majority of those deaths involved non-pharmaceutical opioids as well as other illegal substances.

Not just a public health emergency, the opioid crisis has also caused massive economic impacts. The Canadian Substance Use Costs and Harms Working Group estimated that in 2017 alone, opioid use cost Canadians nearly $6 billion. That’s over $4.2 billion in lost productivity, $438 million for criminal justice costs and more than $944 million for health care, with over $320 million spent on research and prevention, employee assistance programs and workplace drug testing.

Steps towards a solution

While the Canadian Community Health Survey estimates that nearly 13% of Canadians aged 15 years and older have used opioid pain medication (both prescription and non‑prescription) in the last year, the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) reports that medical prescriptions of opioids have been declining in recent years. 

Still, Canadians are the 4th largest global consumers of prescription opioids and the synthetic opioid fentanyl, one of the deadliest street drugs, is now responsible for more overdoses in Canada than any other drug.

According to Laura Hatt, author of the study The Opioid Crisis in Canada, “In 2016, there were more non‑fentanyl opioid deaths than fentanyl‑related opioid deaths. Since then, opioid‑related deaths involving fentanyl have become more prevalent than non‑fentanyl deaths. By 2020, there were 3.5 times more deaths involving fentanyl than those involving non‑fentanyl opioids.”

With thousands of Canadians dying each year from opioid use, local first responders are on the front lines, reviving people, distributing overdose-prevention drugs like Narcan and doing what they can to educate the public about how to stop overdose deaths. Meanwhile, cities, municipalities and communities have banded together as they create and implement community-based solutions that strive to educate the public about the dangers of illegal opioid use.

What is most needed is a national standard plan to combat the opioid epidemic, complete with overdose data, a meaningful federal response on harm reduction and emergency funds for effective and safe treatment.

How Centres for Health and Healing can help

Canada’s opioid crisis is a devastating and complex public health emergency, but healing is possible—with the proper support. At Centres for Health and Healing (CFHH), we are committed to offering individuals and families a real path forward.

Our opioid addiction treatment programs are comprehensive, personalized, and delivered with care. Whether you are seeking in-patient treatment, outpatient services, or medical detox, our fully accredited Toronto addiction treatment centre is ready to help—with no wait time. We understand that every moment matters when battling addiction, which is why we ensure immediate access to life-saving care.

Recovery at CFHH begins with a safe and medically supervised detoxification process, often supported with Sublocade treatment (Buprenorphine) to manage cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Administered monthly, Sublocade helps stabilize brain chemistry, providing crucial support through the early and most challenging stages of recovery. In addition, we integrate other evidence-based medications and therapies, such as Naloxone, Methadone, and specialized behavioural therapies, tailoring each treatment plan.

Beyond detox, our approach focuses on holistic, long-term healing. We provide:

• Individual therapy to identify triggers, heal underlying trauma, and strengthen coping skills.
• Family therapy to rebuild trust and create a supportive home environment.
• Integrated treatment for co-occurring conditions like PTSD, anxiety, and depression, recognizing that mental health challenges often accompany substance use.
• Comprehensive aftercare planning, extending 12 months beyond treatment, to safeguard against relapse and ensure lasting recovery.
• Holistic therapies like mindfulness practices, nutritional support, and fitness programming to heal the body, mind, and spirit together.

At CFHH, we understand that treatment and recovery aren’t “one-size-fits-all.” Our evidence-based, client-centred programs are designed to meet each person exactly where they are—supporting them not only in overcoming opioid dependency but also in rebuilding a full, meaningful life.

The road to recovery can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to walk it alone. Our compassionate team is here to guide you every step of the way, offering expert care in a nurturing and confidential environment. Let us help you break the cycle of addiction and take the first courageous step toward healing.

If you or someone you love is ready to reclaim life from opioid addiction, contact Centres for Health and Healing today. Recovery is possible—and it starts with reaching out.