B.C. declared a public health emergency regarding the opioid crisis in 2016
2,224 British Columbians died from toxic drug overdose in 2021
All are invited to display balloons Thursday to mark the sixth anniversary of the declaration of B.C.’s opioid crisis
Lake Country Health puts on free naloxone training as more people turn to substances as a pandemic coping mechanism
Jenny Matthews said drug users who live in non-urban areas often can’t get their drugs tested for contaminants
The health authority says multiple communities have found drugs with high fentanyl concentrations
Penticton saw more deaths per capita than Surrey due to drug overdoses
‘Usually, you just go to sleep… wake up later and you’re fine. But this night I wasn’t.’
Calls have nearly tripled since 2015, BCEHS says
Indigenous people in B.C. are 5 times more likely to overdose and 3 times more likely to die
Problem compounded by COVID, leaving youth struggling with boredom and restricted access to services
Death toll in B.C. for 2021 has reached 1,782
Distinguishes between street-level trafficker supporting an addiction and higher drug dealer
Chris Lamoureux about to begin studying to be peer support worker
B.C. is the first province to offer a safer supply program
Illicit drug overdose deaths are a serious problem throughout British Columbia
‘We have an obligation to listen to the people who are actually doing this work, and then respond’
