My question is to the Premier.

Today, on August 31, we recognize International Overdose Awareness Day, an annual campaign to end overdose, to remember those lives we have lost to addictions, and to acknowledge the grief of the family and friends left behind.

More than 2,400 Ontarians died from opioid-related causes in 2020. During the first year of the pandemic, there was a 96% increase in apparent opioid toxicity deaths compared to the year before. Since then, deaths have remained high. An increasingly toxic drug supply; increased feelings of isolation, stress and anxiety; and changes in the availability or accessibility of services for people who use drugs have led to a worsening of the opioid crisis.

In my community, the Windsor-Essex Community Opioid and Substance Strategy group has released five alerts already this year due to a high number of opioid-related emergency department visits and overdoses.

In 2021, 66 people in Windsor–Essex lost their lives to overdoses.

My question is this: How many lives must be lost before this government takes action to address this crisis?