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Edmonton recorded the highest number of opioid-related calls in Alberta for paramedics as the government announces plans to build new addiction recovery facilities.

According to the latest provincial numbers, during the week starting June 26, paramedics responded to 339 opioid poisoning calls — the most since such numbers were tracked and published.

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Edmonton saw the most calls of any municipality, with 170, breaking the previous record of 162 calls made during the week of July 26, 2021 in the city.

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In the province, by comparison, in the first week of 2018, there were 59 EMS responses to opioid-related events.

Meanwhile this week, Premier Danielle Smith promised funding for addiction treatment centres on the Siksika Nation and Tsuut’ina Nation in southern Alberta, with the government expecting them to open in roughly 18 months.

Smith was asked by a reporter about the her immediate plan to deal with drug poisonings, and she reiterated that the UCP was focused on building out its long-term recovery-oriented approach.

She also noted that illicit street drugs are now mixed with tranquillizers that make naloxone, a drug used to reverse the effects of opioids, less effective, so more ambulances are being called.

“We do not believe that there is such a thing as a safe supply of opioids. We believe that we have to make sure that we have pathways for people to get out of this terrible addiction, and we’re just beginning our recovery oriented system of care,” said Smith.

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Alberta recorded 179 opioid deaths in April, the highest number of opioid fatalities recorded in a single month since 175 deaths were reported in December 2021.

For years, the Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA) has been calling for the UCP government to fix the EMS wait time pressures by addressing the working conditions of paramedics and increasing harm-reduction efforts.

Mike Parker, HSAA president, said in a statement to Postmedia the current government focus on recovery is not helping.

“The rise in drug poisonings and deaths puts a strain on the entire health-care system. Our members see the devastating impacts as the emergency medical professionals who respond to the calls for help. They are in the ICUs treating patients and they are the counsellors and therapists who help those who survive to recover,” said Parker.

On Thursday, NDP health critic for primary and rural health David Shepherd gave the premier credit for acknowledging that illicit drugs are being mixed with tranquillizers, resulting in more drug poisonings.

“We have an incredibly toxic supply of drugs on the street, and it is killing people, but the premier and her response is essentially saying, ‘Oh, well, there’s nothing we can do about that,’ ” said Shepherd.

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He said the Alberta UCP government’s investment in recovery and treatment is a laudable, but their commitment to build new centres has only resulted in one facility in four years.

“The UCP is focused on a heavily ideological approach denying the exploration of any further harm reduction supports. They’re going against science, they’re cherry-picking a few people who agree with their opinion, going after emotion and moralistic posturing over saving lives,” said Shepherd, adding the NDP is focused on pushing for evidence-based policy to “help keep people alive now.”

The HSAA has said that between November and February, a scheduled ambulance was dropped from service in Edmonton 1,891 times because there were not enough paramedics to staff them.

According to those numbers, over 114 days, HSAA said Edmonton was short an average of 17 ambulances, or 34 paramedics, every day.

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