A Statistics Canada wastewater survey covering January 2024 to March 2026 places Moncton among the three Canadian cities with the highest measured methamphetamine loads, with readings running above Toronto and Metro Vancouver, according to a Global News report published 25 September 2026 (Global News).
Key takeaways
- Moncton ranked third behind Prince Albert and Saskatoon in methamphetamine load across the eight cities tested in the Statistics Canada wastewater survey (Global News).
- Statistics Canada analyst Sianne Kuang said Moncton's methamphetamine and cocaine levels were consistently above the combined average of all monitored cities (Global News).
- Moncton Fire Chief Conrad Landry reported overdose calls rose from four or five a day to 25, peaking near 40 in late May, about two months after data collection ended (Global News).
- Overdose calls to Moncton firefighters rose by nearly 1,000 between January-August 2025 and the same period in 2026, reaching just over 1,500 (Global News).
What happened
Statistics Canada released wastewater monitoring results comparing eight Canadian cities over a January 2024 to March 2026 testing period, with Prince Albert, Saskatoon and Moncton posting the highest methamphetamine readings and Toronto and Metro Vancouver trailing Moncton in the reported ranking (Global News). Kuang, the agency's analyst, said the Moncton record is too short to draw firm trend conclusions but that the substance-by-substance picture is now established: "for methamphetamine and cocaine, (Moncton's) levels of these substances are consistently above the combined average that we see of all cities being monitored" (Global News).
The same report documented a sharp rise in front-line harm indicators. Landry said Moncton firefighters answered just over 1,500 overdose calls between January and August 2026, nearly 1,000 more than during the same window in 2025, and a new rapid-response team has been introduced to manage the increase (Global News). "If they're at a medical call and there's a fire that comes in, that's going to delay their response because they can't just leave the patient there alone," Landry said, noting daily call volume climbed from four or five to 25 and peaked near 40 in late May (Global News).
Front-line service providers reported a stable, high level of use. Jesse Goguen, harm reduction services coordinator with ENSEMBLE Moncton, said methamphetamine is second only to opioids in the city and is used by about 30 to 40 per cent of his clients either alone or mixed with other drugs, while the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction flagged a shift in New Brunswick stimulant toxicity deaths toward people in their 50s between late 2025 and early 2026 (Global News). Premier Susan Holt called the wastewater numbers concerning but not surprising and pointed to preventative programs and Moncton's second mental health court as the province's response (Global News).
Specification read
The survey compares population-normalised mass loads across eight municipal catchments rather than reporting plant-level flows, influent concentrations in mg/L, or hydraulic capacity, so a direct conversion to m³/day, population equivalent, BOD or COD figures is not possible from the supplied source. The reported metric is load per capita of stimulant residue in raw sewage, which is a screening signal rather than a treatment-train design driver (general industry range, not from the sources). For a plant of this class — a combined-sewer catchment serving a mid-sized Canadian city with population-normalised influent typical of municipal service, conventional preliminary and biological treatment (screening, grit removal, primary clarification, and an activated-sludge or MBBR biological stage) and a tertiary or disinfection polish before discharge — the reported reading does not change unit-process selection, but it does change the sampling programme: utilities tracking comparable trends typically add composite auto-samplers at the headworks, preserve 24-hour refrigerated samples, and contract a laboratory panel that includes stimulant metabolites alongside BOD, COD, TSS and ammonia (general industry range, not from the sources). If your plant looks like this — a mid-size municipal works in the 20,000-200,000 m³/day range, BOD/COD in the typical 200-400 mg/L / 400-800 mg/L envelope, primary and biological treatment already in place, and an operator or public-health authority asking for community drug-use metrics — the procurement move is to spec a headworks sampling and cold-chain programme alongside your existing Water Purification instrumentation, with downstream Disinfection Equipment left to handle the polishing step it already covers. Comparable cost framing for sizing such sampling expansions is laid out in the Cost Benchmarks Per MGD for Wastewater Treatment 2026 reference, and the broader case for instrumenting for total-ownership-cost reduction sits in the Advanced Water Purification Total Ownership Cost Reduction (2026 Guide) brief.
FAQ
What is Statistics Canada actually measuring in this wastewater survey?
The agency is measuring population-normalised mass loads of drug metabolites in raw sewage across eight Canadian cities, not plant-level flows or influent concentrations, and the data covers January 2024 to March 2026 (Global News). Comparisons between cities have stated limitations around tourism, commuting and sewer configuration, so small differences should be read with caution (general industry range, not from the sources).
Does a high wastewater drug load change how a municipal plant is specified?
No — the standard train of screening, primary clarification, biological treatment and disinfection still applies, and stimulant metabolites are largely removed or diluted through normal secondary treatment (general industry range, not from the sources). The practical change is at the headworks: adding composite auto-samplers, refrigerated storage, and a contract-lab panel for stimulant residues alongside BOD, COD, TSS and ammonia (general industry range, not from the sources).
What does a headworks sampling upgrade typically cost and how long does procurement take?
Pricing and lead time depend on whether the utility procures a turnkey refrigerated auto-sampler with telemetry, a multi-parameter contract-lab panel, or both; comparable budgeting ranges are summarised in the Cost Benchmarks Per MGD for Wastewater Treatment 2026 reference. Public tenders of this class commonly run 60-120 days from issue to award (general industry range, not from the sources).
Which suppliers or product categories are typically shortlisted for this scope?
Utilities usually evaluate refrigerated composite auto-samplers, laboratory information management tie-ins, and contract laboratories with stimulant-metabolite panels, then route the data into existing Water Purification and Disinfection Equipment packages already in place at the plant. Selection should be driven by detection limit, sample-chain-of-custody, and compatibility with current SCADA rather than brand (general industry range, not from the sources).
