Toronto – May 23, 2024 – Ontario faces an alarming projection: over 3,000 annual drug poisoning deaths for the fifth consecutive year, translating to more than eight fatalities daily. As they find themselves near the frontlines of a substance use and overdose crisis, businesses are issuing urgent calls for action, emphasizing the need for strategic interventions in Ontario communities.

Today, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) released Beyond Emergency Declarations: Charting Ontario’s Course Through the Substance Use and Overdose Crisis. This policy brief aims to simplify the complex narrative surrounding substance use, bridge the knowledge gap between stakeholders, and underscore the need for evidence-based, community-informed solutions that prioritize public health principles, prevent mortality, and improve recovery outcomes.

“Here in Halton Hills, we are grappling with an escalating substance abuse and opioid crisis that we are ill-equipped to manage. Local businesses are struggling with rising security costs and decreasing customer traffic,” said Halton Hills Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Melanie Frazer “This brief calls upon the decision-makers to think outside the silos of any one particular addictions management approach and urges the collection of better data to drive evidence-based solutions.” 

Driven by stigma within healthcare settings, obstacles to treatment, declining mental health, and the escalating toxicity of the drug supply, the crisis disproportionately affects northern, remote, and rural communities, which grapple with limited access to support services and much higher overdose rates. Strategies across Canada vary, from harm reduction efforts in B.C. to recovery-focused models in Alberta to Ontario’s focus on creating a continuum of care. Comparing these strategies - and their outcomes - will be essential, the OCC brief finds.

The OCC thanks its lead partner, Indivior, and its supporting partner, the Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario, for supporting this work. 

The Halton Hills Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to contributing to the success of our members and our community. We are your Voice of Business! 

The Halton Hills Chamber of Commerce acts as a unified voice for business of all sizes and interests across Halton Hills. We are members of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce (CCC). The Chamber Network includes more than 450 chambers representing more than 200,000 businesses.

Locally, the Chamber of Commerce maintain open discussions with local town councillors, town staff, MPs and MPPs, advocating for actions that increase commerce and economic development in Halton Hills.  As a Chamber of Commerce member, you provide input and identify priorities in order to help us take action and provide input on policies that affect business.

About the Ontario Chamber of Commerce 

The Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) is the indispensable partner of business and Canada’s largest, most influential provincial chamber. It is an independent, non-profit advocacy and member services organization representing a diverse network of 60,000 members. The OCC’s mission is to convene, align and advance the interests of its members through principled policy work, value-added business services and broad engagement to drive competitiveness and inclusive, sustainable economic growth in the province.