Ontario says some high-risk businesses must have opioid antidotes and training to use it by June.
Labour Minister Monte McNaughton says the province will give out free naloxone kits and training to small businesses who qualify for the program.
The province passed legislation last spring mandating that naloxone kits be available in high-risk workplaces such as construction sites, bars and restaurants.
Data from the province's coroner's office shows 2,819 people died from opioids in 2021.
Opioid deaths have increased by more than 100 per cent since 2017 and took a marked jump when the pandemic hit in March 2020.
McNaughton says it is all-hands on deck to deal with the opioid crisis in the province.