Police in New Brunswick’s capital city are warning of a dramatic spike in drug overdoses so far this year.
To date, Fredericton Police Force have responded to 61 overdoses, which is a nearly 130 per cent increase compared to the same time last year.
“It’s a significant, worsening trend and certainly something we want to make people aware of,” said Staff Sgt. Rick Mooney with the force’s criminal investigations unit.
In just 48 hours last week, the police force responded to nine overdose calls.
According to Mooney, the number of incidents has been climbing year-over-year in 2024 and 2025.
There were 162 reported overdoses in 2025, nine of which were fatal; 97 in 2024, with eight fatal; and 54 in 2023, three of which were fatal.
Mooney adds the statistics are alarming, and warns those who use drugs to be cautious.
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“Those that are using need to be aware that there’s no guarantee that what they think they are taking is indeed what they are using,” said Mooney.
“If someone is an opioid user, for example, and you are seeing a stronger mixture, that’s where you’re seeing more of a risk, and increased risk.”
Last fall, Chief Gary Forward told Fredericton city councillors that methamphetamine remains Fredericton’s most prevalent drug, but that a more potent drug was making its way into the city too: carfentanil.
“Carfentanil, I would suggest, would be about 50 to 100 times more potent than fentanyl,” he said on Nov. 27, 2025, at a Public Safety Committee meeting.
About an hour’s drive away, in Saint John, N.B., staff at a non-profit that aims to reduce harms associated with drug and substance use say they’ve noticed an increase in overdoses too.
Laura MacNeill, the executive director of Avenue B Harm Reduction, says 14 people overdosed in the organization’s building over the last three months compared to one or two times last year.
“Oftentimes it’s not the substance itself. It is the combination that increases the likelihood of the overdose, fatal or otherwise,” she said.
She adds the biggest problem is stigma, especially for unhoused community members.
“It is heartbreaking work to say the least. There’s not a whole lot of hope, you’re battling a lot of public perception,” said MacNeill.
It’s not just a concern in New Brunswick. In neighbouring Nova Scotia, statistics show 35 overdose deaths so far this year.
It’s prompted officials to urge the public to carry Naloxone, a medication used to temporarily reverse opioid overdoses.
“I absolutely encourage folks if it’s available in your area to get a naloxone kit,” said Sara Wuite, a Nova Scotia Health harm reduction consultant.
“Carry it with you. You never know when you might be able to help someone.”
— With a file from The Canadian Press
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