The MLA for St. Stephen, N.B., says first responders are “stressed beyond belief” following a night of non-stop 911 calls for suspected drug overdoses at the town’s shelter. A total of nine people were treated for suspected overdoses on Sunday night around the Lighthouse Lodge, with six taken to Charlotte County Hospital. “I know the people of St. Stephen are terribly, terribly upset and worried about what’s happening to their community, and to the people who are living at the shelter,” said Kathy Bockus, Progressive Conservative MLA for the town of about 4,500 people. Bockus, whose husband is a volunteer firefighter, described the “boom, boom, boom” of scanner calls that were coming in on Sunday night. “It’s very concerning not only to him, but all the firefighters, and to the paramedics. They’re stressed beyond belief,” said Bockus. “There were four, maybe five ambulances from throughout the county that had to respond that night. What happens if there’s an accident, or if there’s a fire, or a senior falls and breaks a hip and then has to lay there?” In an interview Monday, St. Stephen Mayor Steve Backman said Sunday’s response to the nine suspected overdoses amounted to “pretty much our county allocation for ambulances.” Ambulance New Brunswick wouldn’t confirm the total number of ambulances that responded to Sunday night’s incident, but said it had received a total of 19 calls related to suspected overdoses in St. Stephen between Sept. 19 and Oct. 19. On Monday, Health Minister Dr. John Dornan said volunteer firefighters in the area had asked for more support when it came to responding to suspected overdose calls and said it was “under active consideration.” Rob McKee, the minister responsible for addictions and mental health services, said the province was looking to apply lessons learned from earlier this year in Moncton, when the city experienced a sudden surge in suspected overdose calls. The substance or substances that led to Sunday night’s suspected drug overdoses in St. Stephen haven’t been confirmed. “We’re still waiting on results to see if it’s a similar situation that we faced in Moncton,” said McKee. “And if it is, we know that multiple uses of Narcan administered not getting effective results and people falling into deep states of sedation. It requires a different kind of response, more of a monitoring and using oxygen and checking vitals and that kind of thing. But it can be very demanding on resources.” A statement on Monday from Neighbourhood Works, which operates the Lighthouse Lodge, acknowledged Sunday’s incident. “We are deeply relieved that those affected have returned to the shelter, and our priority remains their health, safety, and well-being; as well as those suffering from substance abuse disorder outside of the shelter’s clientele,” said the statement. “The events of the past week are a reminder that this issue is real, urgent, and affecting our community.” For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
