The London and Middlesex region experienced an increase in opioid-related emergency department visits during the initial eight months of 2026, marking the first rise in such visits since the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data revealed that there were 650 ER visits related to opioids between January 1 and August 30, exceeding the total for the entire year of 2025 by 150 visits. These figures, though preliminary and covering only a portion of the year, demonstrate the ongoing impact of the opioid crisis and highlight the fragility of recent progress, as stated by Dr. Alex Summers, the region’s medical officer of health.
In August, the health unit released data showing that rates of opioid-related deaths and hospitalizations had stabilized in 2025 after consistent declines since 2021. Summers emphasized that the illicit drug supply continues to be a key factor driving the crisis, citing the lack of standardization in the development of these substances, which can result in contamination with other substances leading to unpredictable overdoses.
The report also highlighted a surge in overdoses across the city between March 11 and 13, initially concentrated in the downtown area. Symptoms observed were consistent with exposure to a combination of a narcotic and a tranquillizer believed to be medetomidine, a veterinary sedative.
Efforts to address the crisis and provide services across the community have been encouraging, with over 13,000 naloxone kits distributed in 2025 and approximately 8,700 in the first half of 2026. The closure of the Carepoint supervised consumption site, coupled with the increasingly toxic drug supply, is expected to contribute to a rise in the distribution of naloxone kits this year, surpassing last year’s total.
The report linked the expected increase in naloxone kit distribution to the closure of the Carepoint site following the withdrawal of provincial funding in June. Concerns have been raised by frontline agencies and clients about the potential for more fatal overdoses due to the closure. Summers stressed the importance of ongoing monitoring to assess the full impact of the site’s closure and the need to be vigilant about what services may replace it.
Carepoint, which recorded 16,850 visits and treated 269 overdoses at its York Street facility in 2025, has continued to offer services through the Regional HIV/AIDS Connection. These services include a needle and syringe program, Hepatitis C and HIV testing, and case management.