British Columbia lost 179 more people to the toxic drug crisis in October.
Every single one is an avoidable death
Premier @Dave_Eby needs to make clear to British Columbians what he intends to do to address the toll of the illicit toxic drug supply. 1/ #bcpoli#safesupply
This government is currently not doing enough to reduce the harms caused by toxic drugs.
If Premier Eby truly wants to save lives, he would introduce widely accessible safe supply. 2/ #bcpoli#safesupply
The premier has spoken about forced treatment for people who use drugs, and has said very little on safe supply. Studies are clear that people face an increased risk of death immediately following forced treatment. 3/ #bcpoli
Add to that forced treatment makes people even less likely to seek services at a later date, and treatment centres remain unregulated and without standards of care. Forced treatment will not result in fewer people dying from toxic drugs. 4/ #bcpoli
We heard over and over from the 118 presenters who testified to the Select Standing Committee, safe supply needs to be expanded. I call on Premier Eby again to implement every recommendation of the committee’s report, and to take it a step further with expanded safe supply. 5/5
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But in BC, people are going to desperate measures for care - sometimes paying thousands out of pocket.
Telus Health is charging for health care services. Today, @adriandix announced an injunction against them. 1/ #bcpoli
For nearly a year we have called for the @bcndp to take action on #TelusHealth, a multi-billion dollar corporation charging a fee for ‘premium’ access to care.
We are happy the government is taking action now but why did it take so long and how much did it cost BCers? Minister Dix was opposed to privatized health care when he was in opposition. What changed? 3/
BC’s climate accountability reports exist because the @bcgreenscaucus demanded them during the minority gov’t to ensure no future gov't could greenwash reality.
And the reality in British Columbia is that we are not on track to meet either our 2025 or 2030 targets. 2/ #bcpoli
The @bcndp continue to use all the right words but their actions shout the exact opposite.
Before a press conference in 2020, Dr Henry wrote to staff “We need to be able to give some data that supports what we keep saying - transmission in schools is low,” 2/ #bcpoli#bced#COVID19BC
The PHO and this government were trying to find data to support the narrative that Covid was not spreading among children in schools.
At the same time as telling teachers and parents that the reality they were experiencing was false. 3/ #bcpoli#bced#COVID19BC
Yet another disturbing report on BC’s handling of #COVID19.
"During what officials called a ‘daunting’ spike in school exposures, the PHO maintained that spring break drove infections, not in-school transmission."
As cases rise, an increasingly cumbersome system has left people struggling to get access to vaccine boosters, essentially the only public health tool that this government is still providing.
Today I asked Minister @NicholasSimons if he would immediately raise the rates for people with disabilities so that they are no longer forced to live below the poverty line.
The current disability assistance program undermines the human rights of #PWD across BC. 1/ #bcpoli
The cost of living is breaking records. Rent, food, fuel prices, medication – people everywhere are struggling to stay afloat. And for people with disabilities, they’re expected to live on $16,300 a year. 2/ #bcpoli#PWD
Currently #BillC22 is making its way through the federal parliament. The goal of this legislation is to ensure that people with disabilities are not living beneath the poverty line.
But Minister @CQualtro says it may be a year or more before benefits arrive. 3/ #bcpoli
While I wrote this, wildfire smoke choked the sky, and the Sunshine Coast declared a local state of emergency due to drought & concerns about water shortages.
Scientists have known of the link between burning fossil fuels and rising temperature on our planet since 1972.
The science is even clearer now — with evidence of a changing climate all around us.
50 years on and our leaders continue to hide their heads in the sand. 2/ #bcpoli
CleanBC targets a 40% reduction in GHG emissions by 2030 (from '07 levels).
The latest data shows BC has only achieved a 1% reduction, time is running out and this gov't is still building more LNG. 3/ #bcpolivancouversun.com/news/local-new…