Out of Harm’s Way: Insight, Innovation and Action on the Toxic Drug Crisis

From left to right: harm reduction and recovery advocate Guy Felicella, former BC chief coroner Lisa Lapointe, DJ Larkin of Canadian Drug Policy Coalition, Lacey Jones of FNHA, Leslie McBain of Moms Stop the Harm, former provincial health officer Dr Perry Kendall
The first event in our series on BC’s toxic drug crisis unfolded Jan. 29 in front of an audience of more than 200 people. The panel pictured above, featuring some of the longest standing advocates and activists on this issue in the province, brought valuable context and history to the crisis, which has killed more than 21,000 people since the Government of BC declared a state of emergency in 2016.
Victoria News story on Jan. 29 event
Our next two events are Wednesday, Feb. 26, 3-6 p.m.; and Wednesday March 26, 2-5 p.m. All events are at First Metropolitan Church sanctuary at the corner of Quadra and Balmoral streets, and are free and open to the public.
Here are some of the topics to be featured at these coming events, all presented by leading local experts and people with lived experience:
- Addiction medicine
- Safer supply
- Witnessed consumption
- Resident responder training programs
- Indigenous approaches to harm reduction
- Pathways to treatment
- Pathways to recovery, with or without abstinence
Please join us for these important conversations! Thank you to the First Nations Health Authority for the development of this graphic, All Paths Lead to Wellness. First Nations people make up 3.4 per cent of the BC population, but 17.8 per cent of its toxic drug deaths.
Fact sheet on toxic drug crisis
Loved Ones Lost – video of images of some 300 people who have died in BC’s toxic drug crisis, shared with permission of Moms Stop the Harm
Unregulated Drug Poisoning Emergency Dashboard (BC Centre for Disease Control)