Feds provide funding for community-led response to overdose crisis in Atlantic Canada
Posted Jul 21, 2025 01:15:42 PM.
Last Updated Jul 21, 2025 01:17:05 PM.
The federal government is providing $2.8 million in funding through the Emergency Treatment Fund (ETF) to support four projects throughout Atlantic Canada.
The announcement, made Monday morning by the Honourable Marjorie Michel, Minister of Health, come as overdose deaths in the region are on the rise.
Data released by the Government of Canada at the end of June paints the picture of the situation across Nova Scotia.
In 2024 there were 68 deaths from opioid overdoses across the province at a rate of 6.3 deaths per 100,000 population. That rate has increased by over two points since 2021.
While Nova Scotia saw little change between 2023 and 2024, and the same goes for Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland saw an increase in opioid-related deaths in the same time period.
“Due to colonialization and continued marginalization, many Indigenous communities have also experienced increases in deaths and disproportionate harms, particularly among Indigenous women,” a statement from the Public Health Agency of Canada states.
But the danger is not just opioids. Data shows that deaths from stimulant drugs are drastically increasing in the region.
In 2024 Nova Scotia saw 63 deaths from stimulant overdoses, up from 25 in 2018.
The ETF provides funds for municipalities and Indigenous communities to support public health measures. The funds announced Monday will support drug and overdose programs in Fredericton and Miramichi in New Brunswick; Amherst, Nova Scotia; and St. John’s, Newfoundland.
Projects will include things like adding overnight services to support vulnerable populations, delivering supplies, providing transport to critical services, distributing naloxone, and offering overdose support and weather warnings year-round.
“Communities across the country have called for help – and through the Emergency Treatment Fund, we are responding,” Minister Michel said in a press release. “This funding will deliver immediate support where it is needed most. We are using every tool available to connect people to care, address urgent local challenges, and keep our communities safe.”
The 2024 federal budget allocated $150 million over three years for the ETF to support a rapid response to the overdose crisis.
