By Jacqueline St. Pierre, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Manitoulin Expositor ONTARIO —The new report from the Chiefs of Ontario (COO) and the Ontario Drug Policy Research Network reads like a ledger of sorrow and resilience. It maps a cruel truth: between 2019 and 2022, the rate of opioid-related deaths among First Nations in Ontario nearly tripled, reaching 12.8 per 10,000 people, compared to 1.4 for non-First Nations. In 2023, First Nations people were ten times more likely to visit hospital because of opioid toxicity. Many more use opioid agonist therapy; many more live under the shadow of systemic trauma. “These statistics shed a light onto one of the most pressing issues of our time,” said Abram Benedict, Chief of the COO. “Far too many people—both First Nations and non-First

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