National data shows overdose deaths dropped in 2024 but still higher than pre-pandemic

Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press

By Nicole Ireland,  June 26, 2025

National health data released Wednesday shows overdose deaths in Canada dropped in 2024, but the toll remained much higher than it was before the COVID-19 pandemic. 

A joint statement from the country’s chief medical officers of health, chief coroners and chief medical examiners said 7,146 people died of opioid-related overdoses between January and December 2024. 

That’s down from 8,623 deaths in 2023 but much higher than the 3,742 deaths reported in 2019, according to data on the Public Health Agency of Canada’s website.   

The statement said an average of 20 people a day died in 2024 from apparent opioid toxicity.  

The statement noted that the national numbers “mask important regional differences,” with Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Northwest Territories reporting a rise in opioid-related deaths in 2024. 

The number of people who died decreased in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, New Brunswick and Yukon and stayed about the same in Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.   

There was no data available for Nunavut. 

Many Indigenous communities saw an increase in opioid-related deaths, especially among women, between 2023 and 2024 “due to colonialization and continued marginalization,” the statement said. 

“The overdose crisis, driven by a toxic illegal drug supply, is one of the most serious public health crises our country has ever faced,” it said.

Some provinces and territories that had fewer deaths in 2024 attributed the drop, at least partly, to “a shift to lower toxicity of the drug supply, based on drug-checking data indicating a decrease in fentanyl concentrations,” the statement said. 

Eighty per cent of the opioid toxicity deaths took place in British Columbia, Ontario and Alberta. Yukon, Alberta and Manitoba were all hard-hit on a per-capita basis, with 20 or more deaths per 100,000 population, according to the PHAC report.    

Seventy-one per cent of the deaths were among males. 

Fentanyl was involved in 74 per cent of the opioid toxicity deaths. Seventy per cent of opioid toxicity deaths also involved a stimulant.  

Stimulant drugs can include cocaine, methamphetamine and prescription drugs such as amphetamines.  

In addition to deaths, there were 5,514 hospitalizations; 36,266 ambulance responses and 24,587 emergency department visits due to suspected opioid-related drug toxicity across Canada in 2024, the report said.  

Those numbers were all about 15 per cent lower than what was seen in 2023. 

“We recognize that the data in this report may represent stories of pain, grief, and trauma. This report cannot adequately reflect the burden borne by Canadians,” the agency said on its website. 

“We acknowledge all those impacted by substance use, and those who work to save lives and reduce substance-related harms on individuals and communities.”

2) Ontario investigating alleged data breach of 200,000 home care patients’ info

Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press

By Liam Casey and Allison Jones, June 27, 2025

Ontario is investigating an alleged breach of 200,000 home care patients’ personal health data, Health Minister Sylvia Jones said Friday.

Liberal health critic Adil Shamji said he has unearthed information that an Ontario Health atHome data breach affecting at least 200,000 patients occurred in mid-March and was never disclosed to the public.

“I remain significantly, significantly concerned that there is an urgent, clear and present risk to Ontario home care patients that deserve to know that sensitive personal health information has been compromised of theirs and specifically has not been disclosed,” Shamji said.

He did not reveal how he knows about the alleged breach, but has asked the information and privacy commissioner to investigate.

Ontario Health atHome is responsible for co-ordinating in-home and community-based care. Shamji said about one-third of all home care patients in the province have been affected.

He wrote to Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario Patricia Kosseim last week and again on Friday outlining his concerns.

Kosseim wrote back to Shamji on Friday, saying her office is looking into the matter.

“I can confirm the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario has received a report of a privacy breach that aligns with the circumstances and date described in your letter,” Kosseim wrote.

The province says Ontario Health atHome is investigating one particular vendor that held that data and whether private information was taken.

“Ontario Health and Ontario Health atHome will notify if there has been any form of breach to individual patients,” Jones said.

Premier Doug Ford said the province will get to the bottom of it.

“We will find out where the gap is and why it wasn’t brought to our attention a lot earlier,” he said.

Ford said the matter is personal to him, after his and his brother Rob Ford’s medical information was breached in 2014. 

“Anyone who breaches health-care records needs to be fired immediately,” Ford said.

3) You probably don’t need foods with added protein, nutritionists say

Courtesy Barrie360.com and The Associated Press

By Maria Cheng, June 21, 2025

The human body needs protein. Proteins carry out countless functions inside cells and they are vital for the growth, repair and maintenance of muscles, bones and skin. And with food companies rolling out high-protein versions of a huge range of foods, including milkshakes and granola bars — and even pancakes and popcorn — you might be tempted to think you need to add more to your diet.

But nutritionists say that if you are getting enough food, you are probably getting enough protein.

“Adding protein to foods is very beneficial — for the profits of that food,” said Federica Amati, nutrition lead at Imperial College London and head nutritionist at the health science company ZOE. “It is not based on health, it is not backed by science.”

The amount of protein you need depends on your age, weight and personal nutritional needs and it is especially important for children and older adults to make sure they eat protein-rich foods. Here’s what to know about how much protein you need and how to ensure you’re getting it from the best sources.

Protein is so critical that your body knows how to make it

Protein is a macronutrient, or a basic kind of food like fat or carbohydrates that your body needs to function. There are thousands of proteins, assembled from smaller molecules called amino acids — most of which can be made by the body.

“Because protein is so important, our body has adapted really well to making sure that it can reassemble and change the building blocks of these amino acids to make sure we have what we need, as long as we’re eating adequate amounts of food,” Amati said.

Still, the body can’t make all the amino acids, so some must come from food.

If you aren’t starving, you are probably getting plenty of protein

The World Health Organization recommends that healthy adults get about 0.4 grams of protein per pound of body weight (0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight). That’s roughly 60 grams for men and 50 grams for women per day, based on body weights of 165 pounds (75 kilograms) for men and 143 pounds (65 kilograms) for women.

In most rich countries, the average adult gets far more, Amati said. Protein deficiencies are mostly seen in malnourished people on subsistence diet in poorer countries, she said.

Bridget Benelam, a nutritionist with the British Nutrition Foundation, said it was important to get protein from different foods, like dairy, fish, beans, nuts, vegetables and meat. She said studies suggest vegetarians and vegans have lower protein intake than meat and fish eaters, but that their average protein levels are still OK.

Having some protein at every meal is also a likely a good idea. “It appears to be better for preserving muscle function if you have some protein throughout the day, rather than just having it all in one meal,” Benelam said.

Protein can be found in a huge range of food

Plant-based sources of protein include foods such as beans, lentils, peas, nuts, seeds, tofu, tempeh and meat substitutes. Fish, meat, poultry, eggs and dairy foods such as milk and yogurt are also good sources of protein. Amati said that proteins from animal-based sources may be easier for the body to break down compared to plant-based proteins, which tend to have more fiber.

“If you eat a piece of beef, you’re getting protein and things like zinc and iron, but you’re also getting more saturated fat,” she said. In comparison, Amati said eating protein-rich foods like chickpeas or beans also provides the body with fiber, something that’s lacking in most of our diets.

You probably don’t need to buy products with added protein

“Unless you have a specific health issue that requires you to have more protein, most people in countries like the U.S. and the U.K. do not need more,” said Benelam of the British Nutrition Foundation.

Amati, of Imperial College London, said people should scrutinize the ingredient list of protein-enriched products to make sure they aren’t loaded with sugar and fat.

For people trying to build more muscle, she recommended a more direct solution: exercise.

“If you’re worried about your body composition and muscle strength, you have to lift (heavier) weights and give your body a challenge,” Amati said. “Eating a protein bar is not going to help.”