Staff at a Vancouver non-profit call centre that offers support to those dealing with addiction say they received a more than 800 per cent increase in fentanyl-related calls in 2016. Last year, manager Louise Ghoussoub says staff took 318 calls involving fentanyl, a huge jump from 2015 when they received just 33. Ghoussoub added the recent cold weather in Vancouver, coupled with the overdose crisis, created a very difficult winter season. BC211 Manager Louise Ghoussoub says the opioid crisis, coupled with an unusually cold winter, has led to a busy year for her call centre. Many of the fentanyl related calls are from people wanting to know places where naloxone is available and some staff at the centre have been trained to administer the antidote.

Source: CBC News January 29, 2017 15:00 UTC