RNAO is supporting a private members’ bill aimed at addressing Ontario’s growing opioid epidemic. Mississauga PC MPP Natalia Kusendova, who is an RN, tabled the legislation, called the Mandatory Police Training Act, 2019, in May. If passed, it will require that police officers, special constables, First Nations officers, and inspectors receive ministry-approved training to administer Naloxone for opioid overdoses.  

At a May 16 media conference to promote awareness of her bill, Kusendova was praised by RNAO CEO Doris Grinspun for her leadership on the opioid issue: “When people are dying each day, that’s all the evidence you need that we are in the midst of the greatest public health crisis of our time, and having officers trained in carrying Naloxone, and how to administer it, is an important part of a comprehensive approach to saving lives.”  

Naloxone is used to temporarily reverse the effects of an overdose from drugs such as fentanyl, oxycodone and heroin.

Grinspun says the bill addresses one of the recommendations from a coroner’s inquest looking into the death of Brad Chapman, a father of three from Toronto who died at the age of 43 of an accidental opioid overdose. RNAO, which had status as a party to the inquest, fully supports the recommendation that the province ensure adequate funding for police officers to be trained and equipped with Naloxone.   

As a registered nurse, Kusendova says she believes in “providing police with every tool at their disposal to save lives.” This includes “recognizing the signs and symptoms of an opioid overdose and how to safely and effectively administer Naloxone.”

Across Ontario, 1,265 people died from an opioid overdose in 2017, and figures show that opioids were responsible for the deaths of 1,471 people in 2018.