According to recent data published by the City of Toronto, the number of non-fatal suspected overdoses paramedics have responded to has decreased over the last six months. The data, collected by Toronto Public Health in collaboration with Toronto Paramedic Services, reveals that in September 2024, there were 357 reported non-fatal suspected overdoses. In contrast, there were 163 non-fatal suspected overdoses in February 2025. Moreover, the total number of fatal overdoses during that period was similar.

The reasons behind this decrease remain unclear. According to Coun. Chris Moise, chair of Toronto’s board of health, the decrease in non-fatal overdoses recorded in the city is due to “the hard work of our frontline workers … and the education and the trust that they have in us and our partners. That’s really been the driving force, I believe.”

In her interview with CBC News, Hayley Thompson, the managing director of Toronto’s Drug Tracking Service housed within St. Michael’s Hospital, said she can only speculate on the reasons behind this trend. “It would be reasonable to assume, based on the data from our service, that it could be as a result of a decrease in the actual amount of fentanyl in the fentanyl supply,” she said. “But that’s not to say overdoses aren’t the only adverse health outcome that results from the toxic drug supply crisis.”

Despite the reduction in the number of non-fatal overdoses, some harm reduction advocates and health experts have expressed concerns over the current drug policy changes in Ontario, with the forced transformation of supervised drug consumption sites into homelessness and treatment centres called HART Hubs. Earlier in April, Toronto’s Acting Medical Officer of Health Dr. Na-Koshie Lamptey, said that there is a likelihood of an increased number of overdoses. “To date, across our supervised consumption sites there has never been a fatal overdose, so there’s strong evidence that they work,” Dr. Lamptey said.