2018 Governor General’s Innovation Award Winners
OTTAWA—The Office of the Secretary to the Governor General is pleased to announce the winners of the 2018 Governor General’s
Alberta
National Overdose Response Service - NORS
Nominated by:
Universities Canada
Year: 2025
About the Innovation
The NORS program is currently the only national service supporting individuals who use drugs alone. Currently, the opioid crisis is the largest public health crisis facing Canadians, and 70% of individuals who have died, died by using drugs alone. This program has prevented nearly 150 deaths, taken over 16,000 phone calls and become a lifeline to many of Canada’s most vulnerable. The program has received attention from international governments and news agencies.
About the Innovator
The NORS we know today faced much adversity in the beginning. There were public concerns, but NORS led through collaboration and by listening to various stakeholders. For example, some national first responders and dispatch organizations were worried about over utilization of EMS, but the NORS team assured appropriate data tracking and collaboration, keeping track of every call and outcome, and addressing concerns through evidence and science. In the face of adversity, the leaders strongly believed their idea would save lives and worked hard to make NORS a functional and positively impactful program. Today, NORS is seen as an essential service for many of Canada’s most vulnerable.
