Seven overdose deaths reported in Moncton in 2024: 'I beg them not to use alone'

The new year isn’t even six week old yet, but at least seven members of Moncton's homeless population have died of an accidental drug overdose.

Shannon Barry, the senior director of Community Outreach services for the YMCA of Greater Moncton, confirmed the number to CTV News on Friday.

Barry said there have been seven overdoses in the community that she is aware of and two other non-overdose related deaths.

“It's heartbreaking,” said Barry in an email. “This heightens the need for better harm reduction services in New Brunswick as this is a medical crisis.”

To put the number into perspective, there were approximately 30 overdose deaths from the city's vulnerable population in 2023.

Humanity Project founder Charlie Burrell has been taking people off the streets of downtown Moncton and to a farm project near Salisbury where people can get clean and get started on a new life.

“I know there’s been a pile of them,” said Burrell when asked about the deaths. “The sad part is it's not stopping; it's only getting worse. That's why we need treatment.”

The powerful opioid fentanyl is the main cause of the overdoses.

What's used on the streets can be up to 100 times stronger than morphine.

“There's no good fentanyl, but they call it bad batches. There's stuff found in it like rat poison or different drugs that are mixed in with it and it causes you to OD,” said Burrell. “The thing is, when you're cutting drugs you can have one batch that's a lot stronger that's not as cut down as something else. So what a user takes and uses thinking that they're OK might be a stronger dose than what they're used to taking.”

Homeless advocate John Renton said he personally knew some of the victims and attended one funeral.

Renton said there is concern among some users and they do communicate when there is a bad batch on the streets.

“Because it's sold in colours they'll say don't buy the green or don't buy the red or the blue is dropping people, but there's no way to confirm that because it's not one person making it for everybody on the streets,” said Renton. “They don’t even know what they’re doing. They’re not scientists who are making this.”

If people are going to take fentanyl on the streets of Moncton, Renton is urging them to use with somebody that can be conscious and aware.

"I beg them to not use alone,” said Renton.

The overdose situation is also bad in Charlottetown.

Prince Edward Island Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Heather Morrison issued a public alert Thursday warning islanders about highly potent fentanyl in the province after seven overdose cases were reported that day.

There were no deaths, but the province wants to spread awareness about fentanyl being sold in orange chunks.

“It's really to try and protect more people and that those who might be using substances are aware of what has just happened,” said Morrison. “That they make sure they don't use alone. That they have Narcan or naloxone available if they are using and I think it's a flag that there's something going on.”

Over the years, Burrell says he might have known a handful of people that have died of an overdose, but that's changed drastically.

“Now I can't count on my fingers or my toes how many people I've known that have passed away in the last two years,” said Burrell. 

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