This Is How Drug Use in Halifax Compares To Other Canadian Cities: A Brief Primer

Have you ever wondered how drug use compares across major metropolitan cities? I know I have.

Well, we’re all in luck, because Statistics Canada recently came out with the results of their Canadian Wastewater Survey (CWS)*, which measured the levels of drug residue found in wastewater across the country between Dec 2021 and Nov 2023.

Studying wastewater levels makes it possible to glean how much of a substance is being used in a particular region. If cannabis use, for example, is elevated in one area, you’ll find higher levels in the wastewater.

We looked through all the charts and data so you don’t have to. Here’s how Halifax fared in comparison to other Canadian cities:

FENTANYL

In the fentanyl lane, Halifax is fortunate to see low levels compared to other metropolitan areas in Canada.

To give some background, the Opioid Crisis continues to ravage North America and fentanyl — one of the most powerful opioids — is a particular public health concern. Norfentanyl is a byproduct of fentanyl and can be detected in wastewater.

When Statistics Canada measured Norfentanyl in wastewater across Canada, they found that the Halifax levels were far lower than in Metro Vancouver, Toronto, and Edmonton.

To give you an idea, the typical load per capita found in Halifax wastewater (mg per day per 1000 people) typically hovered around 0.25 mg, with a few exceptions where it spiked up to about 1.25 mg.

Similarly to Halifax, Montreal’s levels typically ranged from 0.16 to 2.32 except for a spike in late 2021/early 2022.

In comparison, Metro Vancouver, the metropolitan area that saw the highest levels of norfentanyl in its wastewater, had levels that ranged between 29 and 46 mg.

Meanwhile, in Toronto, norfentanyl levels hovered between 2.2 and 9.42 mg for this load, with some major spikes in early 2022.

This means that the fentanyl levels found in Halifax’s wastewater were minuscule compared to other Canadian cities — something to be thankful for.

CANNABIS

In stark contrast to fentanyl, the cannabis (THC) levels found in Halifax wastewater were far higher than in other Canadian cities.

From Dec 2021 to Nov 2023, the typical load per capita of THC found in Halifax ranged from 629 to 1164 mg, often fluctuating around the 1000 mg mark.

In Toronto during this same period, the THC levels were found to hover between 265 and 438 mg, at times about a third of what was found in Halifax.

Metro Vancouver — which you’ll remember had the highest levels of norfentanyl in all Canadian cities — similarly had levels between 289 and 545 mg.

The only metropolitan area where the TCH in wastewater was even close to Halifax’s was Prince Albert, where levels ranged from 720 to 1022 mg during the measured period.

COCAINE

Although you might expect the larger metropolitan cities on the list to have the highest levels of cocaine (benzozlecgonine) found in their wastewater, you’d be mistaken.

Once again, Halifax’s cocaine levels were on the elevated side, clocking in between 1134 and 1607 mg per load.

Higher still were the levels found in Prince Albert wastewater, where the cocaine measured reached from 1032 all the way up to 2212 mg during its largest spike towards the end of 2022.

In comparison, Montreal levels ranged from 825-1391 mg, Toronto levels stayed between 666-1052 mg, and Vancouver levels were consistent between 926-1127 mg.

MDMA

In the realm of MDMA, Halifax once again showed lower levels in comparison to other metropolitan areas in Canada.

In Halifax, the survey found levels ranged from 5.36 to 27.18 mg during the measured period.

Toronto’s levels ranged between 10.56 and 34.3, while Montreal’s moved from 7.34 all the way up to 64.32 mg during its highest spikes.

Vancouver’s wastewater showed the highest overall levels, coming in between 25.66 and 90.88 mg per load.

METHAMPHETAMINE

Of all the drug levels measured through wastewater in this survey, some of the severest differences between cities could be found with methamphetamine.

On the lower end, Halifax saw levels between 10.64 and 48.68 during the collection period. This made Halifax the city with the lowest levels of methamphetamine found in wastewater by a massive amount.

On the opposite end, levels in Prince Albert catapulted from 925 to upwards of 2400 mg during the same time frame.

Somewhere in the middle were cities like Toronto, which ranged from 124-218 mg, Montreal, which showed measures between 93 and 256 mg, and Vancouver, which was slightly elevated at levels between 443 and 658 mg.

I didn’t know wastewater - and Statistics Canada - could ever provide this much information on drug use, but there you have it.

*All data was taken from Statistics Canada’s “Canadian Wastewater Survey.” As they note on their website, the data is considered preliminary and therefore subject to change in the future.

You can find the results of the study here: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/71-607-x/71-607-x2024021-eng.htm

Lead Photo: Ave Calvar. Second Photo: Diana Polekhina