Dr. Cornelia (Nel) Wieman, First Nations Health Authority Chief Medical Officer, left, speaks as Wayne Christian (Wenecwtsin), First Nations Health Council Deputy Chair, right, listens during a news conference in North Vancouver, on April 14.ETHAN CAIRNS/The Canadian Press
The top doctor at British Columbia’s First Nations Health Authority says deaths from toxic drugs may have dipped, but now is not the time to pull back on life-saving measures, especially given “misinformation” in the public discourse.
Dr. Nel Wieman says Indigenous Peoples continue to be disproportionately represented among the deaths as B.C. marks the ninth anniversary of the toxic drug crisis being declared a public health emergency.
She says 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.
Wieman presented data showing 427 Indigenous people in B.C. died of a toxic drug overdose last year, representing a 6.8 per cent decrease from 2023.
However, she says their death rate was still an average of 6.7 times higher that other B.C. residents, an increase from 2023.
Wieman says 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 told 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.”
The toxic drug crisis has claimed more than 16,000 lives in B.C. since the public health emergency was declared on April 14, 2016.
B.C.’s provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, says there have been some “glimmers of hope” with the death rate declining over the last year, but there is much more to do to ensure people have the supports they need.
“Whether it is being able to have a conversation with a trusted loved one, peer or medical worker, access to life-saving naloxone, or a safe place to have drugs tested, we have seen how these harm-reduction measures make a difference and save lives,” she says in a statement issued Monday.
“But the increasing toxicity and unpredictability of the drugs on the street also remind us that we must continue to have the courage to be innovative and unwavering in our approach to this public health crisis. The very lives of our brothers, sisters, friends, neighbours and colleagues depend on it.”
B.C. Health Minister Josie Osborne says each death from a toxic drug overdose leaves lasting grief for that person’s loved ones and friends.
“On this solemn anniversary, we renew our commitment to saving lives, supporting healing and working together to turn the tide on this crisis,” she says. “By reducing stigma, improving access to care and meeting people where they’re at, we can help more people find their path to recovery and build a future filled with hope.”
There are many complex factors shaping substance use, including trauma, mental and physical health challenges, poverty, stigma and barriers to securing stable housing and other supports, the minister says in statement issued Monday.
“Ending this crisis requires an equally complex and compassionate response, one that prioritizes care over judgment,” Osborne says.
