ONTARIO-Marjorie Michel, Minister of Health, announced the launch of a new public dashboard under the National Wastewater Drug Surveillance (NWDS) program as part of Canada’s collective response to the illegal drug crisis.
“Data is one of our key tools as we continue to face the illegal drug and overdose crisis in Canada. The launch of the NWDS dashboard is a milestone in transparency and accessibility of data. It will enable a deeper level of collaboration at all levels as we work to protect community safety, reduce the harms of toxic synthetic drugs and save lives.” said Marjorie Michel, Minister of Health.
Officials say by analyzing wastewater samples from participating communities across Canada, the NWDS provides in-depth information about drug use and supply in Canada, both legal and illegal. Drugs found in wastewater can be the result of drug consumption, illegal dumping or manufacturing processes.
Making provincial and territorial-level drug surveillance data available to public health providers, governments, law and border enforcement, researchers and academics will help inform early intervention, response, and timely decision-making at the municipal, provincial and federal levels.
The NWDS dashboard provides data on over 500 substances including stimulants, hallucinogens, opioids, dissociatives, sedatives/hypnotics, synthetic cannabinoids, precursor chemicals, and antipsychotics. Screening excludes most pharmaceuticals, with some exceptions (for example, xylazine, fentanyl, morphine). It started in 2023 to support the Canadian Drugs and Substances Strategy, and has expanded to support Canada’s Border Plan with the inclusion of precursor chemicals. At launch, the dashboard includes data from January 2023 to July 2025 and will be updated quarterly.
