A closed-door meeting was held Thursday afternoon in Winkler where a number of police officers, a doctor who specializes in addiction, and a former drug addict spoke about the dangers of fentanyl, an opioid responsible for many deaths across Canada.

In Vancouver, from January to the end of September, there were 332 deaths from illegal drug use where fentanyl was present, either alone or in combination with other drugs. A man from the United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg, Alex Forrest, said there is an opiod crisis in the city. November saw seven deaths were fentanyl was the suspected cause. The acting chief medical examiner of Manitoba suspects there 30 to 40 deaths in Winnipeg where fentanyl was the sole or contributing cause.

Winkler police indicated that the drug will trickle down to the Pembina Valley eventually.

"In the last two and half years, we've run across fentanyl," said constable Chris Kalansky.

"This is fairly new to us, [but] in the last six to 12 months, we've seen a surge in fentanyl usage across Canada. This has caused us, locally, some concern."

Fentanyl is a prescribed pain killer which can be highly effective for treating severe pain. It comes in a patch to slowly release the drug over a number of days. However, the opioid can be abused for to give people a high.

The drug is extremely dangerous. In it's pure, white-powder form, a few small grains are enough to be lethal. Fentanyl is being cut into pills and other hard and soft drugs. It's odourless and tasteless which makes it impossible for drug users to know if what they're taking contains the drug.

Winkler police say that when the drug is cut, there may be "hot spots" of fentanyl present in the cutting agent. There is no way to distribute the powder evenly, so one pill may have next to no fentanyl, but the next could have double or triple the lethal dose.

"I started using drugs to deal with family issues," said John, not his real name.

John is a recovering drug-addict He was addicted to drugs for many years. He overdosed twice before deciding to seek professional help. He and his wife had their children removed from their home by Child and Family Services, and even though both clean and sober, they are still working to have their children live with them again.

"It started with the use of pot, and then LSD, and mushrooms, and cocaine, I tried heroine a couple times," said John.

He was prescribed a fentanyl patch to deal with serious back pain, but started abusing the drug in the patch. "I [overdosed] the day before my wife's birthday," John said. The second time he overdosed, his son performed CPR until police arrived.

"I couldn't wish that on my worst enemy," said John, "to have my son tell me that he saved my life. What kind of an adult did I become?"

John got into trouble a few times after that, but decided to change his life. "By God's will, I have to say, I haven't used in over a year. I'm darn proud to say that."

However, it took him around six months to be allowed into a rehabilitation centre.

Giving people help to escape their addiction is complicated. There are many different groups and specialists available in the area, but they are isolated from each other.

"There's not a lot of communication," said Dr. Johann Blignaut. "From my perspective as a healthcare professional, I think it would help us to start integrating those services better, communicating better, and working together as a team."

Dr.  Blignaut works at the C.W. Wiebe Medical Centre in Winkler. He recently spoke at an opiod conference in Winnipeg. He said helping someone get over an addiction to a prescription drug like fentanyl requires a delicate strategy.

"It's probably one of the most complex problems in medicine today: the overlap between legitimate chronic pain and addiction," Dr. Blignaut said.

"Our focus today is on fentanyl, but opioids are really the problem." Opioids affect the part of the brain that produces dopamine, the feel-good chemical. This is what a drug-high stimulates, and Dr. Blignaut suggests it's this feeling that addicts are truly after.

"What we've realized over the years is that people are not technically looking for a high. They are looking for that feeling that [assures them], 'I'm okay; I'm cared for. Life is fine.' This class of drugs is extremely good at getting that need met."

Winkler police chief, Rick Hiebert, announced during the meeting, that the City of Winkler is pursuing a safe communities initiative. This will include a community needs assessment, and one of the topics in the assessment is addictions.

"From a police standpoint," Hiebert said, "knowing the problems [people] in our community have with addictions and the looming forecast of the fentanyl epidemic, I truly hope it will be included in the list of topics the group wants to address."

One way the police and emergency services personnel are arming themselves against fentanyl is with Naloxone, a medication that blocks the effects of opioids. Naloxone has been around a long time, but it's only recently that it's been issued to first responders. Winkler police expect their own kits to arrive shortly. Each Naloxone kit contains a syringe and an atomizer. If a person is overdosing on fentanyl or another opioid, the medication will be sprayed directly into the nose; it works within five minutes and lasts for up to half an hour.