Donald Trump’s Economic Director calls out Edmonton for having a fentanyl problem

White House Director of the Economic Council Kevin Hasset went on CNBC on Monday and called out Edmonton for a drug problem. Hasset talked about an experience he had in Edmonton last year stating: “I was in Edmonton last summer, and as I walked out of my hotel, I saw an ambulance responding to someone who had overdosed on fentanyl. Then, as I walked to a restaurant, two people got into a fight with cops over drugs right there in downtown Edmonton.” Hasset then proceeded to say that Canada had a drug crisis and it needed to “stop spilling into the U.S.” Even though, according to the U.S. border authorities, of the 21,900 pounds of fentanyl that entered the U.S. last year, only 43 pounds came from Canada. 43 pounds comes out to around 0.2 per cent.

The Canadian government did report 49,105 opioid-related deaths between the beginning of 2016 and June of last year. Whereas, in 2023 alone, the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reported 74,702 deaths caused by fentanyl overdose.

Yesterday, Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi and Coun. Tim Cartmell responded to Hasset’s comments. “I think it’s pretty alarming when somebody in the United States goes on a national network and uses Edmonton as an example of the disorder and the scourge of fentanyl use in Canada,” said Cartmell. Sohi then added “Edmonton is disproportionately impacted by the drug poisoning crisis because we are a service hub for the regional communities. We have the highest concentration of correctional facilities in our city. So when people are being released from those facilities, if they don’t have the proper support in place, they fall through the cracks.”

Last year, Edmonton did have the most opioid related deaths across Alberta. Between January and October, 441 people died, 96 per cent due to fentanyl. Dan Williams, the minister of mental health and addiction recently said that opioid-related deaths are down 38 per cent across the province.