News from Thunder Bay: The region health agencies in Thunder Bay, Ont., are urging people to clean out their medicine cabinets to properly dispose of expired medications, vitamins and pharmaceutical gear.
NorWest The area Health Centres (NWCHC) hosted the city's annual Medicine Amnesty Day event on Wednesday, where people were given the chance to decrease off old medications and drug-related items outside the organization's office at 525 Simpson St. Thunder Bay continues to have the highest opioid-related death rate in the province at more than five times the Ontario rate,according to the Office of the Chief Coroner. A large part of the problem is increasingly toxic drugs in the street supply, which are often mixed with animal tranquillizers and prescription medications, explained NorWest manager Nicole Fieduna.
"We're seeing pain prescription drugs — so those really common meds that some people have brought today, your Dilaudid, your Percocets — those are being sold on the street with other substances mixed into it," Fieduna remarked. "That kind of tells you why we don't want to have those medications at home because they might find their way into the streets." Keeping old medications at home may also put children and pets at risk, she added. "Why keep it at home? It's keeping clutter, you might be misusing it, the medicines doesn't have the same efficacy anymore," Fieduna shared. "If we don't dispose of them correctly or are putting them down toilets or putting it into the garbage, it puts a risk towards our waterways and also our wildlife." Wednesday's event was run in partnership with Syndicate Pharmacy, the Thunder Bay District Health Unit's Superior Points Program, the city Pharmaceutical Strategy and the city Law enforcement Service.
People can find sharps container locations in the community through theOntario Harm Reduction Program Locations mapor by searching on the freeLifeguardConnect app.
However, people can decline off old prescriptions any time at their nearest pharmacy. "Every medicines or drug-related item that is safely disposed of is one less potential source of accidental poisoning, misuse, and environmental contamination," confirmed NorWest's chief executive officer, Juanita Lawson, in a news release. Another safety concern is used pharmaceutical devices, such as pipes and needles, in public spaces. People can find sharps container locations in the community through theOntario Harm Reduction Program Locations mapor by searching on the freeLifeguardConnect app. Those who don't feel comfortable picking up a needle themselves can contact Superior Points. Otherwise, Fieduna cautions them to "safely pop the top, grab the top of the plunger and put it within a hard case, like a Gatorade bottle," before putting it in a sharps container. People who use drugs can get them checked for free atNorWest's mobile outreach vanto see what's in their substances before they consume them. Fieduna also urges people to get the LifeguardConnect app so they can see the most recent medicine alerts. The app features a 'use alone' timer. If the timer isn't stopped, this may signal the user has overdosed and urgent situation services are notified of their location. Fieduna remarked she hopes Wednesday's event helps spread awareness about resources available in town and the importance of having conversations about substances with loved ones. "It's a really great way to be a contributing local residents member in ways that you might have not thought about it. Is it picking up sharps, looking through your house for those expired medications, or coming by just to learn more around things and conversations that might make you uncomfortable?" she advised. "These are the things that we want to do at events like today.".
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📍 Source: Web Search · By: News Staff · 🗓️ August 03, 2026 · 🏠 ThunderBay.Online
