From a media release:
W5 Investigates Pill-Popping Epidemic in Nova Scotia, Plus a Close-Up of Iconic Newsman Lloyd Robertson, Saturday on CTV
In recent years, the number of addictions and deaths resulting from prescription drugs in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley has grown to crisis proportions. Premiering this Saturday, Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. ET on CTV, W5’s “PRESCRIPTION FOR TRAGEDY†investigates the prescription pill epidemic in this Canadian community, the growing number of kids and adults using and overdosing on opiates, and the alarming ease in getting prescription drugs on the street. Also in this episode, W5 turns the lens on Host and Chief Correspondent Lloyd Robertson, delivering an intimate look at the life and times of Canada’s iconic newsman on the eve of the publication of his autobiography.
Last week, W5’s world exclusive look at reclusive Hollywood legend and MS sufferer Annette Funicello earned the series nearly 1 million viewers, and was #1 program of the night. An average of 938,000 viewers tuned-in, making it the show’s most-watched episode since February, 2012.*
On this week’s program, W5’s Victor Malarek reports on Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley, which has a troubling prescription pill problem on its hands. In recent years, the community has experienced numerous deaths linked to prescription painkillers. With an estimated 1,000 deaths across the country linked to opioids – like morphine, oxycodone, and hydromorphone – experts say opioids are killing more people in Canada than cocaine and heroin, combined.
W5’s hidden-camera investigation reveals just how shockingly easy it is to score pain pills on the street, even in line at a local walk-in clinic that specializes in treating recovering addicts and patients in pain. W5 also examines the Nova Scotia’s Prescription Monitoring Program, which aims to tackle abuse of drugs like opioids. In May 2012, the Nova Scotia Auditor General issued a scathing report on the Program, identifying gross failures with evidence of a program that is broken.
In the second story of the evening, “LLOYDâ€, W5 turns the lens on its Host and Chief Correspondent, Lloyd Robertson on the eve of publication of his eagerly-anticipated autobiography. W5’s Kevin Newman hosts an an in-depth interview about the life and career of a man viewers welcomed into their homes for 35 years while he was Chief Anchor of CTV NATIONAL NEWS. Since turning over the daily anchor chair to Lisa LaFlamme, Robertson hasn’t slowed down a bit, taking on a key role within W5 and penning his memoir.
“That’s The Kind Of Life It’s Beenâ€, set to hit shelves next week, chronicles his upbringing and his unparalleled career in Canadian journalism. In W5’s documentary, Robertson explores the one story he’s never reported on before: his own. He reveals new details to Newman about growing up on the other side of the tracks in Stratford, Ontario, his mother’s illness, health scares in his own life and some of the biggest stories he covered during four decades as a news anchor.
