‘This could be your neighbour, it could be your kids’: Call for naloxone training in Saskatoon

As overdose numbers in Saskatoon continue to climb, public health officials are now urging more people to learn how to administer naloxone and to pick up free kits.

According to the latest information from the Saskatoon Fire Department, between Jan. 1 and Mar. 31, 2025, firefighters responded to 795 overdose calls. The numbers don’t include statistics from Medavie Ambulance Service or overdose responses at Prairie Harm Reduction, the city’s only supervised consumption site.

Read more:

• Saskatoon set to hit pause on downtown arena, entertainment district
• Medical records found in Regina back alley were dumped by cleaner: report
• ‘Near-record demand’: Sask. housing market surges, defying tariffs concerns

During an open house at Station 20 West Community Centre in the Pleasant Hill neighbourhood on March 29, experts in naloxone administration, including University of Saskatchewan sociology doctoral candidate Mary Ellen Gibson, held training sessions for the public.

“I’m doing a lot of my research around substance use and harm reduction and I’m trained through the (Saskatchewan) Health Authority to provide naloxone training,” she said.

Colleen Christopherson-Cote, Station 20 West board chair, said they wanted to respond to the recent Frances Morrison and Dr. Freda Ahenakew public library closures, and the service closure at Prairie Harm Reduction.

“Not in a way to gap-fill service delivery, but to think strategically how we could increase awareness to the importance of those services, and to provide a space for people to come in and get naloxone trained,” she said.

Calling it a first line of defence to help people, Christopherson-Cote said people from across the city attended the event and came to pick up naloxone kits.

“You’re in and out in about six minutes and you leave with a kit — it’s a pretty easy process,” she said.

Christopherson-Cote also wanted to stress that the overdose crisis in Saskatoon wasn’t just a “homeless issue.”

“This could be your neighbour, it could be your kids, it could be your kids’ friends, and so having this on board at your house or in your car, in your purse, in your backpack, is a really strategic thing to help anyone who might be suffering from an overdose.”

A naloxone kit contains three doses of of the opioid reversal drug, three “vanish point” needles, gloves, and other supplies. The kits are free to the public. (Lara Fominoff/650 CKOM)

What is in a naloxone kit?

Outlining the steps to use a naloxone kit, Prairie Harm Reduction’s Aly Welder said they come with three “vanish point” needles, three glass vials of naloxone, plastic ampule “breakers” to safely snap the tops off the vials, alcohol swabs, gloves, a one-way mouth-to-mouth CPR mask and instructions.

“Naloxone works as an opioid overdose reversal. How it works is it covers the receptor in the brain, kind of like a tablecloth… it doesn’t work for things like amphetamines, only opioids.”

Symptoms of an opioid overdose include a person becoming unresponsive, having slow or no breathing, gargled breathing, pinpoint pupils, and lips and/or fingernails turning blue or grey.

A glass vial contains 0.4 mg of naloxone, while a nasal spray dosage contains 10 times the dosage with one spray.

Once a vial is opened, the liquid is drawn through the needle until a hissing sound is heard. The needle is then turned upside down and the plunger is depressed to get rid of any extra air in it.

“It’s an intra-muscular shot, so you want to find the most muscular part of the person, typically a thigh… (the needle) will go through jeans or sweat pants,” she explained.

Holding the needle at a 90 degree angle, the needle is then inserted into the overdosing person and the plunger depressed until it’s empty. The needle then automatically snaps back into the plunger.

Welder said the person administering naloxone should wait a couple of minutes before giving additional doses.

Nasal naloxone works similarly to a cold or flu inhaler.

“You would put it in someone’s nostril and plug the other side, and put half of a squeeze inside.”

For more information on how to administer naloxone, where to attend a clinic, or to pick up a kit, go to this website.

Read more:

• Saskatoon set to hit pause on downtown arena, entertainment district
• Medical records found in Regina back alley were dumped by cleaner: report
• ‘Near-record demand’: Sask. housing market surges, defying tariffs concerns