Safety alert in North Bay: carfentanil and fluorofentanyl found in drug supply

Police in North Bay are issuing a high-priority safety alert after a recent probe of an overdose uncovered two extremely dangerous drugs. Eric Taschner reports.

Police in North Bay are issuing a high-priority safety alert after a recent investigation of an overdose uncovered two extremely dangerous drugs.

That investigation found that carfentanil and fluorofentanyl may be present in the local illicit drug supply.

Both are “highly potent synthetic opioids” that are extremely dangerous and pose a significant risk to users, first responders, health care providers and the broader community.

Carfentanil is estimated to be 100 times stronger than fentanyl and 10,000 times stronger than morphine. It is used legally only as a tranquilizer for large animals such as elephants and is not approved for human use.

Fluorofentanyl is a variant of fentanyl, which is chemically altered with a fluorine atom and can be up to twice as potent as fentanyl.

Like other variants, it is often found in counterfeit pills or mixed with other substances, making it especially dangerous.

“We know the damage that fentanyl does within the community and the people that die from fentanyl use,” said acting deputy chief Jeff Warner.

Carfentanil and fluorofentanyl are Schedule I substances under Canada’s Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and even a trace amount can cause death.

Both can be absorbed through the skin or inhaled, and may appear in powder, tablet, blotter or spray form.

Police are warning that the drugs may be mixed with other opioids and street drugs like cocaine, meth or counterfeit tablets without the user’s knowledge.

“These dangerous substances are circulating within our community in the illicit drug supply. Be careful if you are using,” Warner added.

“Between July 1 and Dec. 31 in 2024, the Toronto drug checking service found that carfentanil analogs were in 77 per cent of expected fentanyl samples.”

The latest statistics from the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit said that as of Friday, 51 opioid-related overdoses have been recorded in Nipissing and Parry Sound and 10 people have died.

Since 2021, 86 lives have been lost to opioid overdoses.

“In the bigger picture, we’re seeing really since the beginning of the pandemic, our numbers have been significantly higher than the province,” Chris Bowes, the health unit’s executive director of organizational effectiveness, said.

“That’s a trend that we’re seeing across the north.”

The health unit strongly urges people who use drugs to never use alone, only use needles once and then discard them safely in a sharps container or bin and always carry naloxone to temporarily reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.

“We do basic naloxone training and we also supply naloxone to the public,” Bowes said.

If you suspect an overdose, call 911 immediately, administer naloxone if available and stay with the person until help arrives.