Several cities have declared states of emergency owing to public disorder triggered by fentanyl crisis

The small B.C. town of Smithers is the latest Canadian community to table extraordinary measures to deal with the chaos and disorder triggered by the fentanyl crisis.

Last week, the northern mountain town of 5,400 announced that it will be hiring a team of private security guards to patrol a homeless encampment and the wider downtown from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. weekdays and 24 hours on weekends and holidays.