Mayors from across Canada gather to identify solutions to local substance use crises

Ottawa, May 1, 2025 — Mayors and city representatives from across Canada gathered in Lethbridge, Alta., April 14–16, 2025, to review approaches for addressing the substance use crisis in small cities and towns. Thirty regions have now significantly contributed to workshop a playbook that will include the first municipally led, integrated standards for prevention, treatment, harm reduction, recovery, policing services, and policies and strategies. Any Canadian municipality can join the initiative, convened by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addictions (CCSA).

“The substance use crisis is not just a big city issue — it’s a whole-of-Canada issue that’s disproportionally affecting smaller cities and towns,” said CCSA’s CEO Dr. Alexander Caudarella, a family physician specialized in addiction issues. “We have the expertise in substance use health, but the mayors and municipal representatives here are the real experts on what their communities need. For the first time, we are bringing the two together to build effective and sustainable localized solutions.”

Elected officials and community leaders came from coast to coast to coast. Senator Sharon Burey, who is known for her work in children’s mental health, equity and social justice, delivered the keynote address.

“I was proud to host colleagues from across the country in Lethbridge for this important initiative,” said Lethbridge Mayor Blaine Hyggen. “We are all facing very similar challenges, and being able to have honest conversations was very constructive. A community’s response to a drug crisis is often polarizing, it crosses many jurisdictions and can have very different impacts. I think everyone in attendance looks forward to reviewing the draft playbook CCSA creates, based on this feedback, and seeing how that can be used to support local government leaders moving forward.”

The Municipal Leaders Table was a continuation of work that started last fall with the Timmins Summit as part of CCSA’s Small Cities Initiative. These conversations with municipal leaders will lead to the development of standards, providing communities with a consolidated range of evidence-based options that they can draw from and adapt to their own regions.

“We already knew the municipality needs to play more of a role in community health. This event has crystalized my understanding of what is needed for that,” said Scott Christian, Mayor of the region of Queens, Nova Scotia. “We need to look at what collective impact we’re seeking to have and how elected officials, municipal staff and community leaders fit into that. We also know there is fatigue in our service provider community, from so many meetings but no action. My big action going back to Queens, even before the playbook is available, is to be really intentional to break through that inertia.”

The playbook will be launched this fall at CCSA’s Issues of Substance 2025 conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It will help unlock vital government support, as well as reduce the growing polarization around the crisis. Attendees reviewed a variety of interventions, from health care and education, to bylaws, community safety measures, prevention and workplace programs. They were also asked to develop a table of contents for what they would need to make the playbook resource as practical as possible.

Later this spring, Timmins Mayor Michelle Boileau will engage additional mayors from across Canada and brief them on the initiative and playbook during the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ Annual Conference and Trade Show in Ottawa, Ont.

Municipalities that are interested in the project or would like to be kept informed on its development can contact CCSA. Over the summer months, CCSA will work to support communities through community engagement, training and education. Open substance use in public spaces, rising numbers of substance use–related hospitalizations and deaths, and a lack of affordable and stable housing are only a few of the challenges small cities face as they attempt to better serve the needs of their communities.

About CCSA

CCSA was created by Parliament to provide national leadership to address substance use in Canada. A trusted counsel, we provide national guidance to decision makers by harnessing the power of research, curating knowledge and bringing together diverse perspectives.

CCSA activities and products are made possible through a financial contribution from Health Canada. The views of CCSA do not necessarily represent the views of Health Canada.

Media contact

Christine LeBlanc, Senior Strategic Communications Advisor
Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction
613-898-6343 | cleblanc@ccsa.ca