Northern Ontario will be represented in Alberta in April at national conference addressing the substance use crisis

An information promotional graphic for the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction. (Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction)

Timmins Mayor Michelle Boileau and Cochrane District Paramedic Services (CDPS) Deputy Chief Seamus Murphy will be among those representing northern Ontario at a conference in Lethbridge, Alta., this April, focusing on Canada’s substance use crisis. The event is part of an initiative by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA).

Boileau, who will be co-chairing the Municipal Leaders’ Table at the event, requested Murphy’s attendance at the conference, a move approved at last week’s Cochrane District Services Board (CDSB) meeting. CDPS Chief Marc Renaud highlighted Murphy’s experience speaking on substance abuse response and medical care at venues across Canada, during the same meeting.

When asked by Timmins city councillor and CDSB member John Curley whether she would attend as CDSB chair or as Timmins mayor, Boileau confirmed she was attending as part of her role as mayor.

The CCSA aims to develop a pan-Canadian playbook for policies, services and support systems tailored to small and mid-sized communities. The Municipal Leaders’ Table held a virtual meeting on Feb. 13 and will meet again on March 28, ahead of the three-day in-person gathering in Lethbridge from April 14 to 16.

“The work we started with the Timmins Summit continues,” CCSA said in a social media post earlier this month.

“We’re building a Municipal Leaders’ Table of mayors from smaller cities across Canada to work on regional solutions for the toxic drug crisis.”

Timmins hosted the Summit on the Substance Use Crisis in September 2024, with a summary report available on the CCSA website.

Murphy’s participation in the April event will be covered by the 2025 paramedic services budget, which includes provisions for conference travel and professional development. Boileau’s expenses will be covered by her mayoral budget.

Representatives from West Nipissing are also expected to attend.

The CCSA will host its larger Issues of Substance conference in Halifax, N.S., this November. The first Issues of Substance conference was held in Calgary, Atla., in 2017, attracting 480 attendees.