New Brunswick·NewFredericton police have issued a public alert after a spike in drug overdoses in the city. Police say officers have attended 33 overdose-related calls so far in September, including 13 within 24 hours on Friday.Police say unknown harmful substances may be mixed with fentanylThe Canadian Press · Posted: Sep 21, 2025 3:21 PM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes agoFredericton police say the number of overdose calls in 2025 already exceeds last year’s total. (Shane Fowler/CBC)Fredericton police have issued a public alert after a spike in drug overdoses in the city.Police say officers have attended 33 overdose-related calls so far in September, including 13 within 24 hours on Friday.They say officers have responded to 113 drug overdose calls needing medical intervention so far this year, exceeding the 109 calls in all of 2024.There have been six fatal overdoses this year, police say.”Unfortunately, we can say that this is pretty much a daily occurrence for our officers to respond to an overdose call,” Insp. David Cooper told CBC News on Sunday.”So, it’s not what we’ve been used to, but unfortunately it has become the norm.”Cooper said a majority of overdoses are reported among the city’s most vulnerable people.He said he’s asked people why they use drugs and the answer is that it is an escape from their daily reality.Fredericton police are warning that there appears to have been an increased use of fentanyl, a deadly opioid, and that it may be getting mixed with other harmful substances.Unknown substancesPolice said these unknown harmful substances create challenges when an officer tries to administer naloxone, a medication that is used to reverse or reduce the effect of opioids.Anyone using drugs is urged to be aware of the increased risks and seek help if needed, while friends and family of those at risk are encouraged to reach out to local health services for support and information.Police can be called any time a person has overdosed or is found to be unresponsive, he said.”We will not charge people when we show up for an overdose,” said Cooper. “Our priority is the health and safety, and saving the life of the person who is overdosing, not criminally charging anybody.”With files from Rhythm Rathi
Fredericton police warn of spike in overdoses, including 13 calls in 24-hour span
