2026-09-23 from ctvnews.ca

The number of older adults in Ontario living with opioid use disorder (OUD) has more than doubled since 2017, a new study out of Toronto’s St. Michael’s Hospital has found.

In a 43-page report released Wednesday, the Ontario Drug Policy Research Network (ODPRN) said the quarterly number of Ontarians age 55 and up with OUD that have interacted with the healthcare system has jumped from 7,116 in mid-2017 to 15,231 by the end of 2025.

This represents roughly one in 350 older adults in the province. The study also showed that opioid toxicity death rates have increased substantially over the last decade.

Data cited by the researchers showed that there were 1,087 opioid toxicity deaths among older adults in Ontario in 2023 and 2024, which equates to roughly one a day.

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