VANCOUVER – Fifteen opioid overdose deaths in Vancouver alone last week shows British Columbia isn’t doing enough to tackle the crisis, says New Democrat Leader John Horgan.
The NDP election campaign stopped at a Vancouver fire hall Thursday where Horgan promoted his plan to create a Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions.
When asked about the 15 opioid overdose deaths in Vancouver, Horgan said the Liberal government declared a public health crisis a year ago and yet the problem has gotten worse.
“It strikes me we’re not doing enough to address this and I want to make changes. I want to make sure there’s a minister responsible for mental health and addictions who gets up every day to make sure we’re making progress on this health crisis, not just ignoring it.”
He wouldn’t say how much an NDP government would spend on the crisis if the party wins Tuesday’s election, saying to assume what is needed five days before an election would be presumptuous.
“I believe we need new eyes and new opportunities to discuss how we get forward with this crisis, and to do that with an individual in cabinet that gets up every single day, talking to people about, ‘Where are the solutions? What are the resources required?’ “
Liberal Leader Christy Clark’s campaign also stopped in Vancouver on Thursday, where she brushed off comments from Alberta Premier Rachel Notley that B.C. lacks the legal authority to ban thermal coal shipments through its ports.
“I appreciate their view. I would say, though, that Albertans are less familiar with our legislation than I am and we’ve been working on this for several months. I think, though, that the federal government after the election, should we be re-elected, will heed our call to ban thermal coal.”
Clark has asked the federal government to ban the export of thermal coal through B.C. in response to a new tariff on Canadian softwood exported to the United States. Most of the coal comes from the United States but Clark’s promise of a $70-a-tonne carbon tax would also hurt Alberta.
Horgan played the part of a firefighter during his visit to the fire hall, sitting in the driver’s seat of a fire truck. He tried on a firefighter’s uniform — complete with an oxygen tank and axe — and sprayed a fire hose.
But Horgan also noted the difficult circumstances affecting firefighters caught up in the overdose crisis.
Dustin Bourdeaudhuy,vice-president of Firefighters Union Local 18, said they desperately need more help.
“We went on 700 overdose calls in the month of April, that’s just unheard of. There needs to be some funding coming to help out the municipalities from the provincial and federal governments.”
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