VANCOUVER — Emergency crews in Vancouver say they are dealing with an "extremely high" number of overdose calls, including 174 last week.
The city says in a release that the number of overdose calls Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services received between Feb. 26 to March 5 was the highest so far this year, and much higher than historical data.
The majority of the calls were in the Downtown Eastside, but the number of cases outside the downtown area also increased.
Vancouver Police also reported 14 suspected overdose deaths across the city last week, six more than the previous week.
Mayor Gregor Robertson says drug overdose deaths due to the ongoing fentanyl crisis continue to have a devastating impact throughout Vancouver.
He says the city shoulders a huge burden of the overdose response, and first responders and front-line community workers are at a breaking point.
