Police issue safety alert after two fatal opioid overdose in same Toronto neighbourhood

The Toronto Police Services emblem is photographed during a press conference at TPS headquarters, in Toronto on Tuesday, May 17, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

Police have issued a public safety alert after two fatal opioid overdoses were reported in the same Toronto neighbourhood over the span of 24 hours.

Police say that officers responded to suspected overdose calls in the Eglinton Avenue and Dufferin Street area on both Sept. 15 and Sept. 16.

In both cases a person was located deceased from a suspected opioid overdose, police say.

“Police are concerned that there may be more people who have been sold or given these opioid drugs,” police said in a news release issued on Friday. “If anyone suffers serious illness after consuming a narcotic, they should attend a hospital emergency room, call 911, or go to a walk-in clinic immediately for treatment.”

Paramedics in Toronto had attended 77 fatal overdose calls in the city as of July.

Data for the latest available 12-week period suggests that paramedics are attending an average of 48 overdose calls a week, two of which end up being fatal.