BAD HEROIN COULD BE BEHIND OVERDOSE UPTICK

Bad heroin may be making the rounds in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside
as residents report an uptick in heroin overdoses.

Lorraine Grieves of Vancouver Coastal Health sent a message to staff
on Friday, warning of "numerous reports of heroin overdoses over the
past few days."

Two people overdosed inside, and one outside, of buildings run by the
Port-land Hotel Society late last week, executive director Mark
Townsend said.

"We'll know in the next few days whether this is a real spike or an
isolated thing," Townsend said on Sunday. "I'm worried it may be the
beginning of something."

Russell Maynard of Insite, Vancouver's supervised injection site, said
overdoses have been on the rise since November 2011. The facility
typically sees 20 overdoses per month; that has increased to roughly
30 in recent months, he said.

Four people overdosed at Insite over the weekend, Maynard said. None
were fatal.

That number is typical for "cheque week," when the lowest-income demo-
graphic gets a cash infusion, Maynard said.

"People are able to use more and as a result, Insite, and the
emergency rooms in Vancouver, see more ODs from about Wednesday to
Sunday."