As British Columbia continues to battle one of the worst public health emergencies it has ever faced, where do the party leaders vying for the premiership of the province stand when it comes to the opioid crisis?
Over 900 people died of overdoses in B.C. last year, and the crisis is not showing any signs of slowing down. The latest numbers released by the BC Coroner Service show 120 people died of overdoses in March, the third-highest death toll for a single month on record in the province. And April 26 saw more overdose calls in a single day than ever recorded in the province’s history.
READ MORE: April’s ‘Welfare Wednesday’ single worst day for recorded overdose calls in B.C. history
And on Wednesday, a stark photo published by a member of the Vancouver Police reinvigorated the conversation around the overdose crisis online.
The photo appeared to show a pigeon’s nest in a bed of needles and went viral within hours of getting posted, underlying the ‘sad reality’ of Vancouver’s opioid crisis.
Captured by the Vancouver Police Department’s Homeless Outreach coordinator in a Downtown Eastside (DTES) single room occupancy building, the photo has now been re-tweeted hundreds of times.
According to VPD spokesperson Staff Sgt. Randy Fincham, the picture was shared with the public “to provide a rare glimpse into the lives of first responders, health care providers and others involved in the opioid crisis.”
FULL COVERAGE: B.C. Election 2017
But where do party leaders stand on the opioid crisis with the election less than a week away?
BC Liberals
During the leaders’ debate last Wednesday, BC Liberals leader Christy Clark said as a mother she is deeply concerned about the crisis, which she considers to be “above politics.”
“Not that we don’t talk about it in debates, we should,” said Clark. “But we should not play politics with it because people are losing their lives.”
The Liberals have promised to set aside future revenue from legalization of marijuana to pay for programs to help those addicted to opioids and other drugs.
On the party’s website, there is a brief mention of the spike in overdose deaths under the mental health section, which lists all the measures the B.C. government has already taken to combat the crisis. Going forward, the platform says the party will use the additional $10 million provided by the federal government to continue to prevent overdose deaths.
BC NDP
On April 17, BC NDP leader John Horgan promised to improve mental health and addictions services by creating a Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions, implementing an “ask once, get help fast” approach, re-opening facilities at Riverview, supporting students in the school system and taking action to address the overdose crisis.
During the leaders’ debate, Horgan emphasized the importance of safe injection sites and enforcement to make sure fentanyl, a potent opioid that has played a major role in the growing overdose crisis, is not coming into the country.
He also questioned why BC Liberals have not yet used the $10 million allocated by the federal government.
“It is sitting in an envelope somewhere waiting for action,” said Horgan. “We need to take action now.”
In a campaign stop in Richmond on Thursday, Horgan said the province needs a minister who wakes up every morning thinking about the problem. However, Horgan wouldn’t say how much a NDP government would spend on the fentanyl crisis if the party wins Tuesday’s election.
BC Leaders Debate: The party leaders sound off on fentanyl crisis
BC Green Party
The Greens have pledged to develop an immediate response to the fentanyl crisis based on successful programs in Europe that invest in treatment on demand, drug substitution, early-winning monitoring systems and coordinated response. The party plans to establish a ministry responsible for mental health and addictions. They are also planning to allocate $80 million to fund early intervention, youth mental health initiatives, supervised injection sites and community-based centres for mental health and rehabilitation.
During the leaders’ debate, party leader Andrew Weaver said an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
“Problems develop if you don’t have the services available when children are young,” Weaver said.
He said the BC Liberals are doing a good job on the harm-reduction front, but there needs to be a pathway to recovery.
“That’s why we are investing and creating a separate ministry of addictions and mental health to pull it out of the health care budget to ensure that remains a priority for us.”
READ MORE: A look at promises made by BC Liberals, BC NDP and BC Green parties
–With files from Paula Baker
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