High in Hamilton: What needs to be done about the city’s opioid crisis?

According to Michelle Baird, Director, Public Health Services – Epidemiology, Wellness & Communicable Disease Control, the city realized in 2018 that opioids and overdoses were becoming a crisis in Hamilton.

“Our emergency room visits for overdoses in 2018 was three times higher than what it was in 2012,” Baird said.
“Our rate of overdoses was highly concerning to the city at that point. In 2018, we had 124 confirmed opioid-related deaths in Hamilton which was a 41 per cent increase from just the year previous.”

Fast forward two years later to 2020 – the city is still dealing with the issue …

Life after Barton Street Jail: A look at resources for inmates reintegrating into society

Hamilton’s Barton Street Jail has a long history and has housed a number of notorious criminal figures. In recent years, though, the institution has been under the microscope following reports of overcrowding and abysmal conditions. With the world reconsidering the meaning of criminal justice and the treatment of so-called criminal elements, InTheHammer takes a look at the role of the Barton Street Jail in this process …

Fringe Review: Bookmarks

They say a picture paints 1,000 words but the words spoken throughout BOOKMARKS can paint 1,000 pictures …

How second-hand bookstores in Hamilton have been impacted by the pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a large impact on countless businesses in the city – in some cases negative and in some cases positive.

Used bookstores are no exception …