While still too high, drug overdose deaths in Sudbury have stabilized, report finds

While opioids are still driving drug overdose deaths in Sudbury, a new report says stimulants are killing an equal number of people. (File)

While the number of drug deaths in Sudbury – and northern Ontario – remains much higher than in the south of the province, mortality rates have levelled off, a new report says.

The latest Community Drug Strategy Report on Opioid Use is headed to the city’s community and emergency services committee Nov. 24.

Drug deaths in the city peaked in 2020 at 117, an increase of 588 per cent compared to 2016. That number remained high at 106 in 2024, the report said.

“Of the regions with the highest suspected drug poisoning mortality in Ontario, seven out of 10 are in northern Ontario,” the report said.

“Mortality in Greater Sudbury, Sudbury District, and Manitoulin District (is) consistently two to three times higher than the provincial average.”

While opioids are a consistent cause of the deaths, fatal overdoses from stimulants now match those caused by opioids. And between 2022 and 2025, 76 per cent of drug deaths took place in private residences and 80 per cent of victims lived in private dwellings.

In addition, in the same three-year period, fatal drug poisonings were highest in two areas of the city (114 and 87 deaths) other than downtown. Downtown came third at 59.

“Although public discussion often focuses on the downtown core, the data suggest that these deaths are happening more elsewhere in the city,” the report said.

“Not in downtown, encampments or public spaces.”

And rather than being opioid deaths, a mix of drugs is now often at play.

“Drug poisonings are increasingly caused by a mix of substances rather than just one, often requiring rapid assessment and multiple interventions,” the report said.

“While naloxone remains vital, it is not always enough to reverse all substances at play. The rise in polysubstance use and deaths linked to non-opioid substances reflects this and highlights the need for a more comprehensive response.”

Read the full report here.