CBC: Canada's drug crisis is affecting a largely unchecked population of users — newcomers - N4

There were 484 confirmed and suspected drug toxicity deaths in Saskatchewan in 2023. In speaking with community organizations, CBC News found that Canada's drug crisis is affecting a largely unchecked population of users — newcomers — and we don't even know how severe the issue is.

Now, experts are calling not only for better data collection, but also more attention to the realities that lead newcomers to use drugs, and culturally-specific care that could help them escape it.

Sultan Ali Sadat, director of human resources and operations at Saskatoon Open Door Society, said young people who move here alone "struggle to survive." He said many of them are older than 22 and unable to attend high school, or find their previous education not being recognized by Canadian institutions. Some also have low levels of English.

The expectation from many families when their children move to Canada, Sadat said, is to see them "successfully standing [on their own two feet] and at least helping the families who are back home right away," adding that those relatives might be in refugee camps or countries where jobs are scarce.