Skip to main content

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

FORSETH: Next January will we instead read, ‘our hearts are heavy with the loss of 2,600+ people in British Columbia to toxic drugs’

 

HOT ON THE HEELS of the latest tragic death statistics for those who have died tragically from drug overdoses, came a media release from Premier David Eby’s NDP government

The media release was headlined, “Record expansion of treatment options will support more people with addictions”. In it Premier Eby stated:

“People need to be able to access treatment and recovery services close to where they live, without worrying about how to pay for it. This expansion nearly doubles the number of publicly funded treatment and recovery beds that we committed to, so people get the care and treatment they need, no matter how many times it takes.”

 

This week British Columbians were shocked to see headlines like this one from Global News:

 

“More than 2,500 people died of toxic drugs in B.C. in 2023, driven by fentanyl”.

 

And the comments of BC’s soon to be retiring Chief Medical Coroner Lisa LaPointe who observed, "More people than ever are dying -- nearly seven people every day in 2023. Each day, coroners across B.C. go into communities and retrieve the bodies of the dead”.

 

Consecutive provincial governments in BC have called the situation epidemic, but I will ask once again ...

WHY do we keep seeing the same words spoken by government month after month – year after year – including ones like these?

 

Our hearts are heavy ... each of these lives was precious and important ... their loss is felt deeply by us all ... and more of the same

 

In November 2023 the BC government announced that at least 2,039 lives had been lost to unregulated drugs in the first 10 months of 2023.

With this month’s announcement of 2,511 deaths (2023) attributed to a poisoned and toxic drug supply, that means there were a further FOUR HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-TWO deaths alone in the last two month of the year --- nearly eight (7.74) every single day.

 

Here's what a random review shows us for the past year, and what the government had to say about them:
November 2023 ... 189 deaths announced: “We hold close the memory of those we have lost as we continue to build and improve the systems of support in our province.”

 

September 2023 ... 175 deaths announced: “We remain firm in our commitment to end this public-health emergency.”
July 2023 ... 184 deaths announced: “We know there is more to do, and we won’t stop working until we end this crisis.”
May 2023 ... 176 deaths announced, “My heart goes out to everyone who is grieving ... We won’t stop working ...’
Speaking to the latest death toll on Wednesday, LaPointe was quick to say, ‘people are dying from a volatile, poisoned supply of illicit drugs and not as a result of decriminalization, safer supply or any other harm reduction measures.”

 

And from the government we heard:

“Our actions are making a meaningful difference and are saving lives. For example, a recent study found that B.C.’s prescribed alternatives to street drugs program reduces the risk of death by as much as 91% in people with opioid-use disorder.”

 

While I am certainly no expert, I am going to disagree with both the provincial government, and Lisa Lapointe. What do the facts tell us about all of the services that government is providing to help reduce deaths? There were:
1,716 deaths in 2020 ...

2,224 deaths in 2021 ...

2,300 deaths in 2022 ... and

2,511 deaths in 2023

 

The death toll has increased by 46 percent in the past 4 years. Given that figure, how can they possibly say there interventions have seen a 91% reduction in the chance of death for individuals?

 

While it is admirable the government is continuing to increase the number of addiction recovery beds, there are still not enough.  Knowing this, why is the government not simply creating the beds which ARE needed? What are they waiting for? Another 2,500+ deaths?
Additionally, it is well know that for a real chance at a successful drug-free life, those accessing addiction recovery services need more than beds.
A successful program is going to include on-going counselling services ... education upgrades including skills to be able to get and hold down a job – especially trades training ... and a place to live that is well away from known drug supply areas.
Niki Sharma, BC’s Attorney General, also needs to call upon her provincial counterparts, along with the federal Minister of Public Safety Dominic LeBlanc, to map out ways to ensure that the scum creating this poisoned drug supply go to court facing every possible charge they can be hit with – and NO MORE pleading down to lesser charges, or consecutive sentences.

 

These blood sucking bottom feeders are living lavish lifestyles on the blood and suffering of our sons, daughters, husbands, wives, friends and co-workers. They should be put away for life – but when was the last time you heard that happen?

 

According to the Public Prosecution service of Canada, they can get away with a little as two years for the production of hard drugs like cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, etc.

 

And the reality is that minimum, no consequence, sentences are more likely to be handed out.

 

Let me ask ... where is the strongest possible charge – MURDER?  After all, in knowingly creating a poisoned drug supply, they are indeed committing murder.

 

IF our government is serious about their commitment to end this public-health emergency.”, then that commitment is going to have to come with serious life-changing consequences for those preying on those made vulnerable due to drug addiction.

 

I’ll ask ... Are those we have elected to govern, and protect, finally ready to do what needs – no must – be done? Or come next January (2025) will we once again read and hear:

“Today, as we reflect on the year behind us, our hearts are heavy with the loss of 2,511 people in British Columbia to toxic drugs. Each of these lives was precious and important, each with their own story, their own dreams and people who love them. They were part of our community, and their loss is felt deeply by us all.”

In Kamloops, I’m Alan Forseth.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

FORSETH -- If having three un-happy MLA’s leave the party, is what it takes to have unity within caucus, then I say, “Fine; let it be so”

Regrettably, in recent days, issues within the Conservative Party of BC have come to the surface resulting in one member being removed from Caucus (Dallas Brodie) and the party, and two others (Tara Armstrong and Jordan Kealy) leaving of their own accord. As of this morning (Saturday March 8th) all three are now sitting as independents in the BC legislature. So, what does that mean? In the last twenty-four hours social media feeds have lit up with support for leader John Rustad, while others have been negative, accusing the party, and Rustad, of being bullies and not standing up for conservative values. Ryan Painter, who has personally worked with John Rustad, had this to say: Since the beginning, he's had one target: the BC NDP. He knows that British Columbians deserve a government that works for them, delivers on their promises, and doesn't tax them into poverty. He believes in his team and the power of a focused opposition. He knows who the enemy is. He knows BC deserves ...
Post a Comment
Read more

WARD STAMER: “Hopefully he’s actually listening to what people have to say, and not just showing up for a photo op”

In his latest travels across the province, BC Forest Minister Ravi Parmar touched down in the Okanagan. A trip essentially, he said, to be on the ground meeting industry people. I read what he had to say, and about how he has been tasked with getting more timber to market. Let me start by saying, “ He hasn’t been tasked. He and Premier Eby guaranteed 45 million cubic metres of available wood fibre – they guaranteed that .” BC Timber Sales is a government agency within the provincial forest’s ministry, which is responsible for managing a portion of the province's Crown timber; specifically, 20 percent of the province's annual allowable cut. Unfortunately, BC Timber Sales did not provide anywhere near that amount last year, it was just 12.2 percent. Three years ago, BC mills cut 52 million metres of wood, bringing in nearly $2 billion dollars to the provincial treasury. That figure doesn’t include the taxes from 55,700 people directly employed in the industry, nor from the tens o...
Post a Comment
Read more

Conservative Opposition demonstrates focused and policy-oriented approach in first four weeks of the legislative session

In the first four weeks of the legislative session, the Conservative Official Opposition has scored significant policy wins as it proves every day that the Conservative team has fresh ideas and real-world experience to bring to the table. At the same time, the NDP government has been listless, struggling to find a policy agenda that addresses the problems that British Columbians are facing. “This NDP government led by David Eby has tried to do everything under the sun to distract from their disastrous fiscal record and the fact that they are utterly out of ideas,” said Conservative Opposition Leader John Rustad. “They’ve tried to use the U.S. President to deflect from their eye-popping $11 billion deficit, the worst business confidence in the country, and the fact that they’ve created almost zero private sector jobs. This is no way to run a province or an economy.” Since the legislative session started on February 18th with the Throne Speech, the opposition...
Post a Comment
Read more

Labels

Show more