IN PHOTOS Northern lights dance across the night sky in southern Ont.
From London, to Mildmay, Collingwood and St. Thomas, here are some highlights of Friday night and Saturday morning's northern lights display.
Another harmful substance is spreading within Canada's unregulated street drug supply and, without more aggressive intervention from policymakers, one expert says a growing number of people could be at risk of serious illness, injury or death.
Xylazine is a potent veterinary tranquillizer used in large animals, such as horses, but not approved for use in humans. Known on the street as "tranq dope" or "zombie drug," it is increasingly being used as an additive in opioids due to its ability to prolong their effects. However, it can also cause extended blackouts, and severe abscesses that sometimes lead to amputation.
Hayley Thompson, project manager at Toronto Drug Checking Service, says most people sickened by xylazine are unknowingly exposed via contaminated fentanyl, meaning victims often experience the effects of both drugs at once.
"When people are using it alongside fentanyl, it would create further sedative effects, further central nervous system depressant and vital suppression (effects)," Thompson told CTV's Your Morning on Monday, explaining how the added sedative effect increases risk of dangerous respiratory and cardiac slowing.
Xylazine also acts as a vasoconstrictor – meaning it causes a narrowing of the blood vessels – and can put users at risk of developing severe abscesses. In the U.S., where contamination rates are as high as 90 per cent in some cities, Thompson said this side-effect of the drug has led to limb amputations.
Adding to the danger, xylazine does not respond to naloxone, a fast-acting drug used to temporarily reverse the effects of opioid overdoses.
And xylazine appearance in unregulated drugs is on the rise in Canada.
According to a recent report from Health Canada, xylazine was identified in 1,350 samples of drugs seized across Canada in 2022, out of 2,324 identifications total since record-keeping began in 2015. The largest numbers have come out of Ontario and British Columbia.
Thompson said this trend highlights how important it is to educate the public about how easily the unregulated fentanyl supply can be contaminated with substances users don't expect to encounter.
"Xylazine is just one of over a dozen drugs that we consider noteworthy that we regularly see in the unregulated fentanyl supply," she said.
According to the latest federal government data, there were a total of 3,556 suspected opioid overdose deaths in the first half of 2022. This equals around 20 deaths a day. From January to June of 2022, 90 per cent of all accidental apparent opioid toxicity deaths in Canada occurred in B.C., Alberta, or Ontario.
To better protect people who use street drugs, Thompson said harm reduction advocates want to see government explore "bolder policy measures" such as increasing investment in supervised consumption services that would allow people to more easily access a safe supply of opioids.
"We'd like to see more people being able to make informed decisions about their drug use, and also safer supply being more available to people," she said.
"Without safer supply and drug checking, people really don't know what it is they're using, and therefore can't appropriately dose themselves. That's why we're seeing all of these accidental drug poisoning deaths."
From London, to Mildmay, Collingwood and St. Thomas, here are some highlights of Friday night and Saturday morning's northern lights display.
A cyclist turned herself in and received a fine after striking a four-year-old girl who was crossing the street to catch a school bus.
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
The Netherlands' contestant in the Eurovision Song Contest was dramatically expelled from competition hours before Saturday's final of the pan-continental pop competition, which has been rattled by protests over the participation of Israel.
The rolling hills leading to the hamlet of Rosebud are dotted with sprawling farms and cattle pastures -- and a sign sporting a simple message: No Race Track.
In the quiet and leafy Vancouver neighbourhood of South Cambie, best known for its botanical garden, playoff fever is about to set in.
Evan Bouchard scored 5:38 into overtime and the Edmonton Oilers bounced back for a 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Friday.
Biden wants the 2024 election to be a referendum on Trump's record and plans, but he also wants voters to look favourably on his own policies and actions
Irresponsibly using a credit card can land you in financial trouble, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says when used properly, it can be a powerful wealth-building tool that can help grow your credit profile and create new opportunities.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
The stakes have been set for a bet between Vancouver and Edmonton's mayors on who will win Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
A grieving mother is hosting a helmet drive in the hopes of protecting children on Manitoba First Nations from a similar tragedy that killed her daughter.
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
A P.E.I. lighthouse and a New Brunswick river are being honoured in a Canada Post series.