As the calls for treatment and detox in the Northwest continue to grow more intense, some action on the matter has been confirmed.
MP Taylor Bachrach brought the need for detox in the Northwest to the House of Commons Friday;
“Mr. Speaker, toxic drugs continue to kill people's loved ones in Northern B.C. at an alarming rate. And First Nations families are disproportionately affected. In Terrace, the rate of deaths from toxic drugs is the second highest in our province. The Northern First Nations Alliance has been pushing for years for more detox and treatment capacity so people don't have to travel to the lower mainland for services. The Alliance has urged this Liberal government to help. Why hasn't the government acted?”
The Minister of Addictions and Mental Health, Ya'ara Saks responded:
“Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I want to thank the member for his question. Mr. Speaker, there is no community that has been left untouched by the illegal toxic drug supply. It has been a tragedy for so many communities that are losing their loved ones. And we know that indigenous communities are disproportionately affected and we've answered that call of listening to communities.
Mr. Speaker, in Budget 2024, with the Emergency Transfer Fund, which will be launched shortly to work directly with community to address the overdose crisis, we know that communities need help. We've been there for them with over $1,000,000,000 in investments to date, and we will continue to do the work.”
On the Municipal front, Mayor Sean Bujtas took the topic to the recent Union of BC Municipalities Convention in Vancouver.
“The big thing was treatment. And detox is one of the biggest things. There's definitely a lot of other provincial responsibilities that aren't being met in our community, you know, health care and things like that. But on the treatment and detox front, we did not sit down with Minister Whiteside because she was unavailable for personal reasons. But we did sit down with the Deputy Minister and the Deputy Minister has confirmed that they are currently seeking property in in Terrace area to build treatment and detox, or dedicated treatment in detox for the Terrace, Terrace and the Northwest area.
How long that's going to take? We're not sure at this point because they don't currently have a property for it. So they either need to lease, buy and or possibly build. Hopefully not, but because that will just take more time. But it was positive to hear the Deputy minister say that they are in this process of acquiring land to get a dedicated service for treatment of detox in Northwest B.C.”
Bujtas also suggested dispersing services;
“I think what the province probably should be considering doing is putting more pocket services in smaller communities to help people stay in their areas, because I think it's harder for folks when the where they're traveling for services no matter what that services.
So I think it would be wise of the provincial government to look at putting more services in places like Kitimat. But in Dease Lake, Telegraph Creek, the Nisga’a Nation, all of these places and all across the province like that, they should be putting, you know, more housing, more, more, more treatment, more, more. Like, it's unfortunate, but these are the situations we're in all across the province.”
Currently, patients in the Northwest who require detox are sent to Prince George, over 500km away. The Northwest region has the third highest rate of unregulated drug death rates in BC in 2024, at 69.8 per hundred thousand. In 2023, it was 63.6, and in 2021, the rate peaked at 76 deaths per hundred thousand. So far, 134 people have died from toxic drugs in the Northwest in 2024.
