City council votes to pilot naloxone training for Edmonton transit inspectors
The community and public services committee unanimously approved a plan to offer voluntary training to roughly 100 transit staff as Alberta's opioid crisis claims more than 2,700 lives since 2022.
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Edmonton city council voted Monday to explore naloxone training for transit inspectors as a pilot response to the opioid crisis that has killed more than 2,700 people in the city since 2022.
The community and public services committee unanimously directed city administration to prepare a report on voluntary naloxone training for the roughly 100 transit inspectors, with a deadline of October 19. The motion, brought by Ward Ipiihkoohkanipiaohtsi Coun. Jon Morgan, who worked as a transit inspector for many years, centered on his firsthand experience watching overdoses without tools to respond.
"Walking over people who are on the edge, watching drug poisonings happen and not really having the tools to help besides just calling 911 and watching people die — giving this tool for transit inspectors and city employees is one more step we can do to not only save lives but also save employees who are experiencing a lot of trauma on the ground," Morgan said.
City administration estimated the cost of training one employee to use naloxone at between $380 to $450. The city also cautioned that expanding the program could turn employees into occupational health and safety workers and open the city to liability questions. Authorized staff would require additional personal protective equipment.
Medical professionals disputed those concerns. Dr. Sumantra Monty Ghosh from the University of Alberta's faculty of medicine said there is no risk of opioid exposure to bystanders unless they are "actively snorting it, smoking it, or injecting it."
4B Harm Reduction Society founder Angie Staines, a nurse, called the move a step toward treating the crisis as a health issue rather than a moral failing. "We need to get away from that moral failing narrative that creates more stigma, which stops people from responding," she said.
Will the pilot program expand to other city departments if it succeeds with transit inspectors?
What safeguards will protect employees who decline training or refuse to administer naloxone?
We'll update this story as answers emerge.
The facts
How many transit inspectors would receive naloxone training?
Roughly 100 Edmonton transit inspectors would be eligible for the voluntary training program.
When is the report on naloxone training due?
City administration must prepare a report on the naloxone training program by October 19, 2026.
How much does naloxone training cost per employee?
Edmonton city administration estimated the cost of training one employee to use naloxone at between $380 to $450.
