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Mental Health and Addictions

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge our office is located on Treaty 1 Territory and that Manitoba is located on the Treaty Territories and ancestral lands of the Anishinaabeg, Anishininewuk, Dakota Oyate, Denesuline and Nehethowuk Nations.

We acknowledge Manitoba is located on the Homeland of the Red River Métis.

We acknowledge northern Manitoba includes lands that were and are the ancestral lands of the Inuit.

We respect the spirit and intent of Treaties and Treaty Making and remain committed to working in partnership with First Nations, Inuit and Métis people in the spirit of truth, reconciliation and collaboration.


Introduction

This interactive report, provides the currently available information on substance use and related harms in Manitoba. Five key indicators are summarized in this report: Substance-related deaths (SRDs), substance-related hospitalizations, substance-related emergency department (ED) visits, substance-related incidents attended by Winnipeg Fire & Paramedics Service (WFPS) and Take-Home Naloxone Kit (THNK) distribution. This dashboard will be updated mid-month at the beginning of each quarter (Jan, Apr, Jul, Oct), and will include data up to the end of the preceding quarter (where available) from the following four data sources:

Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME).

  • The OCME is the data source for substance-related deaths. In an effort to provide timely information, these deaths are assessed based on toxicological findings prior to the completion of a finalized autopsy.

Hospital data - two sources.

  1. Discharge Abstracts Database (DAD) is the source for all substance related inpatient admissions (i.e., hospitalizations). These hospitalizations are identified as cases in which a patient has at least one substance-related discharge diagnosis. This data source is typically available with a 3-6 months delay, as it undergoes additional validation prior to release.
  2. Emergency Department Information System (EDIS) is the source for all substance-related ED visits. These visits are identified either through a substance-related discharge diagnosis or through a keyword search of the ED visit reason field. This data source is updated on an ongoing basis. However, it does not provide full provincial coverage; only EDs connected to EDIS are included, meaning some smaller rural EDs are not captured.

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) - Winnipeg Fire and Paramedic Service (WFPS) Data

Take-Home Naloxone (THN) Kit distribution data

  • Data are obtained in the Public Health Information Management System (PHIMS), which tracks the distribution of THN kits to their distribution sites throughout the Province. This data source is updated on an ongoing basis.


Provincial Overview


*Substance-related death data is subject to change as more information becomes available. This may mean that the most recent data may be underrepresented.

Quarters are defined by calendar quarters. I.e. Q1: Jan - Mar, Q2: Apr - Jun, Q3: Jul - Sep, Q4: Oct - Dec.



Deaths


Trend

*Confirmed fatality counts (bars) are based on the left axis, while crude rates (line graph) are based on the right axis.


Definition: Substance-related deaths are deaths due entirely, or at least in part, to the toxic effects of one or more substances, including alcohols. A death is considered opioid related if at least one of the substances contributing to causing death is an opioid. It is important to note that deaths due to the effects of chronic substance abuse, or deaths due to other causes where substance intoxication may have circumstantially contributed (i.e., drunk driving, hypothermia, drownings), are excluded from this case definition.


Substance-related deaths in Manitoba, Q2-2025
Substance-related deaths in Manitoba continued to decrease in Q2-2025, extending the downward trend that began in early 2024 and mirroring national patterns. A total of 95 deaths were reported, representing a 12.0% decrease from the previous quarter and a 39.9% decrease compared with the same period in 2024.

  • Stimulants (primarily methamphetamine and cocaine) remained the leading contributors (n = 77, 81.1%), followed by opioids (n=55, 57.9%) and benzodiazepines (n = 23, 24.2%).
  • Manitoba reported a higher proportion of opioid-related deaths among females (38%) than the Canadian average (28%).
  • Co-involvement of multiple substances remained common, with many deaths involving more than one substance.
  • Among opioid-related deaths, fentanly was involved in 34.5% (n = 19), while fentalogs were involved in 69.1% (n = 38).
  • Stimulant co-involvement was identified in 78% of opioid-related deaths in Manitoba, higher than the Canadian average of 68%.

For other data resources of substance-related deaths in Manitoba, please see: Province of Manitoba | justice - Suspected Substance Related Deaths

For further information on Manitoba in comparison to Canada, please see: Key findings: Opioid- and Stimulant-related Harms in Canada — Canada.ca



Demographics

  • For January 2022 to June 2025
  • Displayed as crude rate per 100,000 Manitoba residents.


Hospitalizations and ED Visits


Hospitalizations

  • Please see glossary for definition of categories.


ED visits

  • Please refer to the glossary for definition of categories.
  • Categories are defined by the ED discharge diagnosis recorded in EDIS.
  • Because a discharge diagnosis is not always provided, counts within individual categories may be under-representated. The total, however, includes all identified substance-related visits, regardless of whether a diagnosis code was recorded.


  • ED overdose visits are identified in EDIS using a keyword search in the ED chief complaint field.



WFPS Attended Incidents


Overall Trend

  • Categories are defined by WFPS and represent the primary reason WFPS personnel are dispatched to an incident.
  • A single incident may involve multiple patients, and each patient may have multiple substances involved.
  • Incidents involving multiple patients are counted once. Incidents involving multiple substances are counted once for each substance involved; however, they are counted once when calculating the overall total.
  • Consequently, the total number of incidents attended by WFPS in Winnipeg typically differs from the sum of incidents reported for individual substances.


Naloxone Administration

  • Opioid-related incidents attended by WFPS do not always involve Naloxone administration. Other interventions, such as respiratory support, may be provided depending on the patient’s condition.
  • A single incident may involve multiple patients.
  • Consequently, the number of patients who receive Naloxone from WFPS typically differs from the number of opioid-related incidents attended by WFPS.


Demographics

  • For October 2025 to December 2025 inclusive.
  • Displayed as crude rate per 100,000 Winnipeg residents.


By Neighbourhood Cluster

  • For October 2025 to December 2025 inclusive.
  • Displayed as crude rate per 100,000 residents.
  • Geo-coded as the neighbourhood cluster that the incidents was responded to at. Not necessarily the neighbourhood cluster of residence for the person being responded to.



Take-Home Naloxone Distribution

Note that holding points are not necessarily the final point of distribution of the take-home naloxone kits. Also, a person from one RHA may obtain a kit from another RHA, so this is not a fully accurate picture of where each take-home naloxone kit is eventually kept and/or used.


Glossary

Abbreviations

DAD: Discharge Abstracts Database

ED: Emergency Department

EDIS: Emergency Department Information System

EMS: Emergency Medical Services

OCME: Office of the Chief Medical Examiner

PHIMS: Public Health Information Management System

Q1-Q4: Quarters one through four, as defined by calendar quarters. I.e. Q1: Jan - Mar, Q2: Apr - Jun, Q3: Jul - Sep, Q4: Oct - Dec.

THN: Take-Home Naloxone

WFPS: Winnipeg Fire and Paramedic Service


Diagnosis Codes

Hospital and ED related substance diagnoses are categorized using the International Classification of Diseases 10th revision (ICD-10) diagnoses codes. These are:

  • Alcohol:
    • F10.1 - F10.9: Alcohol-related disorders
    • T51.0-T51.9: Toxic effect of alcohol
    • X45.0-X45.9: Accidental poisoning by and exposure to alcohol
    • X65.0-X65.0: Intentional self-poisoning by and exposure to alcohol
    • Y15.0-Y15.9: Poisoning by and exposure to alcohol, undetermined intent
  • Cocaine:
    • F14.0-F14.9: Cocaine-related disorders
    • T40.5: Poisoning by cocaine
  • Opioids:
    • F11.1-F11.9: Opioid abuse/dependence
    • T40.0: Poisoning by opium
    • T40.1: Poisoning by heroin
    • T40.2: Poisoning by other opioids
    • T40.3: Poisoning by methadone
    • T40.3: Poisoning by other narcotics
    • T40.4: Poisoning by synthetic narcotics
    • T40.6: Poisoning by unspecified narcotics
  • Other Depressants:
    • F13.10-F13.19: Sedative-hypnotic-, or anxiolytic-related disorders
    • T42.3: Poisoning by barbiturates
    • T42.4: Poisoning by benzodiazepines
    • T42.6: Poisoning by other antiepileptic and sedative-hypnotic drugs
    • T42.7: Poisoning by antiepileptic and sedative-hypnotic drugs, unspecified.
  • Other Stimulants:
    • F15.1-F15.9: Other stimulant-related disorders
    • T43.6: Poisoning by psychostimulants



Government of Manitoba