Grand Erie Public Health has extended a community drug alert for Brantford-Brant and Haldimand-Norfolk after 51 emergency department visits were recorded between August 22 and September 3, 2026, and seven suspected drug-related deaths were reported across the region in August.
The health unit says many of the recent incidents involved opioids or medetomidine, a veterinary sedative not approved for human use that has been showing up in the unregulated drug supply.
Medetomidine can make overdoses harder to treat. While naloxone should still be given to reverse the opioid effects, the sedative effects of medetomidine may linger, meaning some people need medical monitoring for three to six hours after treatment.
This alert follows an earlier warning issued in late August, and health officials say the situation remains ongoing. Residents are urged to carry naloxone, avoid using alone, and use drug test strips available at local community agencies.
Naloxone and drug test strips are available through community organizations including SOAR Community Services and the Positive Health Network Van, which serves both Brantford-Brant and Haldimand-Norfolk. The DROP, a harm reduction site in Simcoe, is open Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The rise in medetomidine-related incidents is part of a broader trend across Ontario. The substance has been found in 85% of opioid samples recently tested in Toronto, and health officials warn the unregulated supply may contain unexpected contaminants.
