Man charged after toddler overdoses on fentanyl at Winnipeg home

A Winnipeg man is facing a criminal charge after a toddler ingested fentanylon the weekendand overdosed.

Police and paramedics were called to a home in North Point Douglas on Saturday after residents in the home saw the child go into medical distress and began performing CPR, according to a news release from the Winnipeg Police Service.

The child was rushed to hospital in critical condition and needed several doses of Narcan before being stabilized.

It was later discovered that the toddler had ingested the opioid while crawling on the floor during a gathering at the home.

As a result, a 28-year-old man has been charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm. He was released on bail and is prohibited from going to the child's home.

The man who was charged is not one of the child's parents or caregivers, who were at the gathering when the incident happened, said police spokeswoman Const. Dani McKinnon.

"I don't want to try and cast any blame on them," McKinnon said.

"I think, you know, children get curious and, as we know with fentanyl, just the teeniest little miniscule bit of powder can have a great effect even on an adult."

Police don't anticipate laying any additional charges at this time, McKinnon said.