Nine years ago, former B.C. provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall declared a public health emergency in response to a sharp increase in deaths related to toxic drugs and drug overdoses.
Overdose deaths had been climbing steadily since 2010; the 474 deaths in 2015 were a 30 per cent increase from the year before.
Those annual numbers kept climbing, peaking at more than 2,500 deaths in 2023.
More than 16,000 people have died as a result of toxic drugs across B.C. in those nine years. Although recent numbers show those numbers could be declining, officials remain steadfast in their commitment to saving lives.
More than six British Columbians died per day due to toxic drugs last year.
“This crisis continues to have a devastating impact throughout our province, from families and communities to the front-line workers who provide care, support and compassion in the face of unimaginable loss,” Health Minister Josie Osborne said in a statement.
“Each and every loss leaves lasting grief for the people who knew and loved them.”
While the crisis is intensely personal for those who have lost people they care about — children, parents, partners, grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, friends, co-workers — it’s also become a point of political tension, as leaders try to figure out the best way to address toxic drug deaths in B.C. and beyond.
It was a key issue during the 2024 provincial election in B.C. Entire ministries at both the federal and provincial levels have tried to tackle the issue, and specialists have been appointed to take on serious concerns.
A drug decriminalization program was rolled back last year in B.C., and the province ended take-home safer supply for drug users in February.
Two weeks out from the 2025 federal election, toxic drug deaths haven’t been a focus by any means, but they certainly have come up in parties’ plans.
The Conservatives have pledged to severely restrict harm reduction services and overdose prevention sites, prevent any new sites from opening, and promised to divert funding from existing sites to addictions treatment.
It’s a plan B.C. Centre on Substance use researcher Kora DeBeck described as “magical thinking,” and unrealistic, from her perspective.
“Addiction is a chronic relapsing condition, and we need lots of supports for folks,” DeBeck told CBC’s The Early Edition host Stephen Quinn.
“Another key thing about addiction treatment is making sure that there are supports when people leave. Treatment doesn’t … begin and end.”
Backlash against harm reduction
Tom Warshaki, the medical director of a live-in program for people aged 12 to 18 living with substance use issues, said harm reduction services, like overdose prevention, keep people alive so they can eventually access treatment.
“You can’t treat somebody who dies of an overdose. They’re gone,” he said. “So you’ve got to keep them alive, and you keep on offering that recovery option.”
The Liberals haven’t said much about the toxic drug crisis but did say they’re reviewing the effectiveness of overdose prevention sites, which Leader Mark Carney said are under provincial jurisdiction.
Carney has also promised to recruit 1,000 more RCMP personnel to combat drug and human trafficking and organized criminal groups.
Both Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and Liberal Leader Mark Carney spoke about the toxic drug crisis during their visits to B.C., and both leaders are taking very different approaches to the issue of supervised consumption and overdose prevention sites. As Katie DeRosa reports, one harm reduction advocate worries the life-saving services are becoming a political football.
The NDP and Greens have said they support harm reduction services like overdose prevention sites.
DeBeck said treating addiction and saving lives requires “supports along the full continuum” of care, something frontline workers have long advocated for — including, but not limited to, safe housing, access to a safer supply of drugs and ongoing treatment and support.
“When people have a relapse, they need harm reduction,” she said.
“Harm reduction are the kinds of things that keep people alive. They’re evidence-based, and we absolutely need to have them as a comprehensive approach to our overdose crisis.”
Indigenous communities disproportionately affected
Dr. Nel Wieman, chief medical officer with the First Nations Health Authority, said her team is pushing B.C.’s Health Ministry to help find a tailored approach for Indigenous-specific issues to prevent more people from dying and close the gap with the non-Indigenous population.
On Monday, Wieman presented data showing 427 Indigenous people in B.C. died from toxic drugs in 2024, representing a 6.8 per cent decrease from 2023.
However, she said the death rate was still an average of 6.7 times higher than that of other B.C. residents, an increase from 2023.
Wieman said the B.C. government, coroners service, researchers and others must stand against the “disinformation and harmful rhetoric” circulating in the public discourse about the crisis and harm-reduction measures aimed at saving lives.
“Now is not the time to walk back on harm reduction, especially for a population that is overrepresented,” she said during a news conference. “We know anti-First Nations racism is rife in all of the systems, not just the health system, but all of the systems that impact people who are trying to either stabilize or improve their lives.”