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7 | W aterloo C hronicle | T hursday,A pril 25,2019 w aterloochronicle.ca THIS WEEKS DEALS! APRIL 25-28 4 DAYS ONLY! THUR 9-9 FRI SAT SUN 9-9 9-6 10-5 IN ST OCK $167// LIN FT$157// LIN FT67¢ / 67 / 67 / 67 LIN 67 LIN FT 67 / LIN FT 67 7/83 " 5¼" 5½" MDF PRIMED WHITE BASEBOARDS IN ST OCK PRINTED TILES NEW! $297REG 6.99REG 6.99REG 6.99REG 6.99REG 6.99REG 6.99// SQSQ FTFTFROMFROM FLOOR OR WALL IN ST OCK HEXAGON 8" TILE $399REG 5.99.99.99.99.99.99// SQSQ FTFROMFROM HOT NEW PRODUCT! IN ST OCK 2-TONE FRIEZE CARPET $167REG 3.99REG 3.99REG 3.99REG 3.99REG 3.99REG 3.99/ SQSQ FTFTFROMFROM PLUS NO TAX! IN ST OCK $337REG 6.99REG 6.99REG 6.99REG 6.99REG 6.99REG 6.99// SQSQ FTFROMFROM HANDSCRAPED CLICK ENG. HICKORY HARDWOOD IN ST OCK SWISS-MADE LAMINATE 89¢REG 1.59REG 1.59REG 1.59REG 1.59REG 1.59REG 1.59/¢/¢/ SQSQSQ FTFT¢/ SQ FT¢FROM89FROM89 HOT BUY! IN ST OCK DISTRESSED LAMINATE $157REG 3.99REG 3.99REG 3.99REG 3.99REG 3.99REG 3.99// SQSQ FTFTFROMFROM BARN BOARD LOOK IN ST OCK SPC CLICK VINYL $177REG 4.99REG 4.99REG 4.99REG 4.99REG 4.99REG 4.99/ SQSQ FTFTFROMFROM 6MM THICK 1362VICTORIA ST N. KITCHENER MON-FRI 9AM-9PM SAT 9AM-6PM SUN 10AM-5PM WATERLOO REGION -WATERLOO REGION -W The number of overdoses in Waterloo Region con- tinues to climb. From January to mid April, there were 326 over- doses. Twenty-seven of them were fatal. In Janu- ary, 11 people died. "This is a staggering number that requires change by all of us," Police Chief Bryan Larkin told a recent meeting of the Wa- terloo Regional Police Services Board. In the first two weeks in April, seven people have died of opioid over- doses. Larkin said police con- tinue to focus on traffick- ers - mid-level to high-lev- el drug traffickers. The user is treated as someone who needs med- ical help, he said. And when police know of a dangerous batch of drugs on the street, they put out public advisories, warning users of the dan- gers. "We believe in a holistic approach," Larkin said. "We have come so far on changing the narrative." In 2018, there were 628 overdoses, 53 of them fa- tal. The highest monthly toll was in June with 61 overdoses. With a supervised con- sumption site slated for 150 Duke St. W. in down- town Kitchener, police say they are preparing to ad- dress concerns that may arise. "Treatment centres are a polarizing issue," Lar- kin told the board. "We have a responsibil- ity around policing to work with the neighbour- hood and other stakehold- ers," Larkin said. At least two local offi- cers will be visiting Calga- ry to speak to police there about issues they have dealt with around their drug consumption site. "We want to make sure we have a police plan in place," Larkin said. The board was also told that the use of naxolone is also increasing. In 2018, police adminis- tered naloxone 35 times. So far this year, police have given the antidote 22 times. Staff Sgt. Brenna Bonn told the board that when police arrive at a scene of an overdose, most often naloxone has already been administered two or three times by a bystand- er. In 2018, overdoses most often happened in private residences, followed by shelters. A significant number of overdoses - 66 - oc- curred in public places such as street corners and public washrooms, Bonn said. In 2019, the highest number of overdoses oc- curred in shelters, with private residences sec- ond. Most overdose victims are men between the ages of 22 to 44. The seizure of fentanyl and carfentanil is steadily going up, while heroin is decreasing. LOCAL SEVEN DIE OF OPIOID OVERDOSES IN FIRST TWO WEEKS IN APRIL STORY BEHIND THE STORY: For at least the last two years, public health has been closely tracking overdose-related deaths. THE ISSUE: OPIOID OVERDOSES IN WATERLOO REGION ARE STILL HAPPENING LOCAL IMPACT: RESIDENTS OF THIS REGION ARE DYING Waterloo Regional Police photo