Pubdate: Sun, 05 Mar 2017
Source: Toronto Sun (CN ON)
Copyright: 2017 Canoe Limited Partnership
Contact: http://www.torontosun.com/letter-to-editor
Website: http://torontosun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/457
Author: Terry Davidson
Page: 8

FENTANYL LIKELY ON THEIR MINDS

The Fentanyl issue will more than likely be broached when Ottawa Mayor
Jim Watson meets with Premier Kathleen Wynne on Monday. Officials from
Watson's office confirmed Friday that while Monday's meeting will
largely involve a chat about Ottawa's high-tech sector, the Fentanyl
issue is almost certain to come up given the potentially deadly opioid
has been at the centre of recent fatal overdoses in the nation's capital.

"It's something (the mayor) might bring up, yes," said Watson's
spokesman Livia Belcea.

Mathieu Gravel, Watson's director of issues and outreach, said it
would be an "important discussion" to have with the premier.

"I think it is an important discussion to be had between the province
and mayors of large cities across Ontario and across the country,"
said Gravel. "They want to see how best to address the crisis."

Fentanyl has been making headlines in Ottawa as of
late.

"There has been a few deaths amongst youth ... in Kanata," said
Gravel. "There has been a concentration of opioid overdoses in that
suburb recently."

Ottawa police are currently investigating the death of 14-year-old
high school student Chloe Kotval, who died Valentine's Day after
taking what she thought was Percocet but turned out to be Fentanyl.

Teslin Russell, 18, was found dead on Dec. 31. She, too, died after
consuming what police believe to be counterfeit pills.

The deaths have jolted Ottawa into a city-wide discussion on opioid
drug use, particularly among teens.
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MAP posted-by: Matt