The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

w at er lo oc hr on ic le .c a W at er lo o C hr on ic le | T hu rs da y, M ay 24 ,2 01 8 | 4 2 uniq ue sho pping experi encesk-w surpl us 666 Victoria St. N., Kitchener Mon.-Fri. 8-9; Sat. 9-6; Sun. 10-5 447 Huron Street, Stratford Mon-Sat 9-6, Sun 10-5 We reserve the right to limit quantities. Some items may not be exactly as shown. Some items may be limited in quantity. www.kwsurplus.com SOAP & WASH GUN $599 799 BLUE DENIM JEAN SHORTS assorted sizes $999 $1999 PURINA CAT CHOW 2 kg advanced nutrition OR 1.42kg naturals original ea CONAIR PERSONAL GROOMING SYSTEM $299 $2999 12 for ea OR 11" or 12" WORTH softball 12" Super gold dot compression flourescent yellow only NAME BRAND HAIR ACCESSORIES great selection 11" official ball of softball Canada soap/water mix control 35 inch wand $799 soap/water mix control 35 inch wand ALL AT SUPER SURPLUS PRICES Just in! two styles battery operated also includes manicure kit Fatal opioid overdoses in Waterloo Region are trending down compared to this time last year, but it's uncertain if the trend will continue as the much dead- lier drug carfentanil grows in popularity here. A review presented to Waterloo Regional Police Service board members Wednesday indicates the first-third of 2018 recorded 13 fatal opioid related over- doses, compared to more than 21 for the same period in 2017. Statistics for 2017 may actually be higher, as no reports are available for January last year. The decline is cautious- ly regarded as a positive re- sult in an ongoing cam- paign to raise awareness about the risks of using deadly bootleg drugs, and supported by harm reduc- tion education measures in a bid to prevent deaths. The downward trend has also been attributed to the increased availability of the life-saving antidote, naloxone, enabling private citizens to revive individu- als overdosing on opioids. In presenting his report, Insp. Dave Bishop, of intel- ligence services, said while fatal overdose numbers are down, police aren't in any position to say they're win- ning the war in the ongoing opioid crisis just yet. "One of the things we have seen, which is very concerning for us, is that carfentanil is now becom- ing prevalent," he told the board. Carfentanil, a drug 100 times more potent than fen- tanyl that is designed to tranquilize large animals like elephants, is now more regularly showing up as a confirmed ingredient in the deadly mixes of opioids seized by police. A recent warning was issued follow- ing a seizure of a carfenta- nil-laced drug dubbed pur- ple playdough for its soft, doughy appearance and texture. What worries emergen- cy responders, including police and paramedics, is that people using opioids have no way to know what they're taking, and are more likely to consume quantities of carfentanil, increasing overdose risks. Those increased risks present consequences in attempts to save lives. "Officers and paramed- ics are finding that reviving overdose patients now sometimes requires multi- ple doses of naloxone, and increased medical care," explained Bishop in his re- port. Since regional police started carrying naloxone - two doses per kit - they have administered the anti- dote 33 times, 11 of those times this year. While police remain cautiously optimistic about reports showing downward trends in drug overdoses and fatal over- doses, police leaders ac- knowledge statistics may not necessarily mirror re- ality. Many overdoses - not in- cluding fatal incidents - are often not being reported to police thanks to availabili- ty of naloxone and educa- tion discouraging individu- als from using alone. Over- dose victims are often re- vived by friends without even calling police or seek- ing further medical atten- tion. Of those reported, how- ever, police are finding the most number of fatal opioid overdoses aren't occurring in the core downtown areas as some might expect. "Our overdose deaths continue to be primarily residential, and in subur- ban areas," explained Bish- op. Those using in residen- tial areas are more at risk because they're more likely to be using alone, ex- plained Chief Bryan Lar- kin. Those using in core downtown areas are more likely to have access to safe- ty measures like naloxone or be in groups with indi- viduals to revive them, he said. "We know that using with another person, hav- ing naloxone available and or other safety measures does result in saving lives," he told the media after the board meeting. "I think it's very impor- tant. We need to continue to reinforce that as we move toward the exploration of potential supervised injec- tion sites." POLICE Waterloo Regional Police leaders say there have been fewer fatal opioid overdoses in Waterloo Region, but there are concerns about the rise of one of the most dangerous drugs, carfentanil. Lisa Rutledge/Metroland Fatal opioid overdoses down, but carfentanil on the rise Report show more fatal overdoses occur in residential areas, not city cores LISA RUTLEDGE lrutledge@cambridgetimes.ca