BC Provincial Project Underway - Stronger Together!

BC Stronger Together Project

Stronger Together is now actively underway across British Columbia. The primary goals of the project are to:

• Build capacity for family-led support groups in regions and towns where little or none exists: Healing Hearts (for families experiencing the grief of losing a loved one to drugs), and Holding Hope (for families with loved ones using drugs).

• Train and support families with lived experience who are interested in facilitating family-led support groups in their community.

• Understand the impact of substance use on BC families.

• Advocate to the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions (project funder) to address systemic barriers and help families find balance and peace within these struggles.

Progress so far:

• In September 2020, a survey was sent out to both MSTH members and family-serving organizations throughout BC. The survey asked families/agencies what supports were needed in their communities and included an invitation to assist in expanding support to families who are grieving and to those who are supporting a loved one who is struggling through the development of Healing Hearts and Holding Hope support groups. The response has been wonderful. From small communities up North, to First Nations communities and beyond, the response has underlined the importance of strengthening support to families impacted by the overdose crisis in the province of BC.

• The Stronger Together team was also pleased to bring on board Dr. Jamie Piercy, a UBC researcher who is studying the impact of the overdose crisis on families in this province. Her findings will assist this project in communicating to our provincial government bodies the urgent need for support to families. The survey will be released in November 2020.

The expansion of Healing Hearts Bereavement Support Groups and Holding Hope Family Support Groups will take place in the spring of 2021, as we assist new facilitators to become trained.

If you live in BC and would like to become trained to facilitate a support group, contact us at strongertogether@momsstoptheharm.com.

December 2020 - Co-Founder updates

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MSTH co-founder Leslie McBain

Hello all,

A lot less travelling and not going to in-person meetings, has actually given me more time to be involved in virtual meetings, write, answer individual letters and respond to media. COVID has not been a negative in this regard. In most other ways of course it has been and is a disaster for all.

I have spoken publicly during COVID many times on why the epidemic of toxic drug deaths has increased, why the drugs are more poisonous, why people are using alone, how the government is not attending to this epidemic, and how stigmatized thinking has been the ‘driver’ of inaction in all governments.

I have created a committee of MSTH Moms to delve deep into the disaster apparent in most recovery and treatment facilities. We have members across Canada whose loved ones have died ‘in care’ because of lack of oversight, weak regulations, insufficient training of staff and many other problems. We are in dialogue with the BC office of Strategic Initiatives and will resume meeting after government is formed. 

(If there are MSTH members who have had bad experiences with their loved ones in treatment in BC please email me at momsstoptheharm@gmail.com)

It becomes more apparent than ever that we must push the feds, provinces and municipalities for a safe regulated legal supply of drugs for people who need them – we can drastically lower the number of deaths with safe supply in place. Complex but not impossible!

MSTH has received a substantial grant from the province of BC to support families in BC who experience the grief of losing a loved one or have a loved one struggling. We are additionally waiting for (hopefully good) news on whether we will receive a federal grant to do the same across the country.

Leslie

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MSTH co-founder Petra Schulz

A challenging year is more challenging to those of us who are grieving or supporting a loved one living with substance use or in recovery.  The intersection of COVID-19 and the drug poisoning crisis has brought us more heartache in the form of unprecedented overdose death rates in every province and territory. 

Public health measures designed to keep us safe from the Coronavirus means that people are isolated, and more people use and die alone. At the same time harm reduction programs, such as consumption services operate at reduced capacity, as do treatment services and many other services. 

The measures that would keep people alive, most notably providing a safe supply of pharmaceutical alternatives to toxic street drugs, are only available to a limited number of people in Ontario and in BC.  At the same time, provincial governments stand by while our loved ones die with the unhelpful mantra of “don’t use, you might die”. We all know that if it was as easy as telling people to abstain because using could be risky we would not be where we are right now. 

Some governments, most notably in Alberta, go further than idly standing by. In the province, I call home harm reduction and even treatment services are actively being dismantled with the closure of the consumption site in Lethbridge and the phasing out of the high success injectable Opioid Agonist Treatment (iOAT) program in Edmonton and Calgary. iOAT is designed for people for whom all other treatment options have not worked. Many describe this program as life-saving and may fear for their lives, should it be canceled. 

With COVID restrictions in place, the board has taken this opportunity created by the fact that we are all stuck at home to get together via on-line meetings to develop a strategic plan that will take us into the future. We are looking for more ways to engage advocates, which proves challenging as we grow as an organization and as more people turn to us for support. 

We are also supporting initiatives where people fight back against a system that is ignoring our loved ones. We had Moms with protesters in Vancouver giving out safe supply and in Lethbridge supporting volunteers at an unsanctioned overdose prevention site. We had members protest at the steps of the legislature in Winnipeg and in front of government buildings in Victoria. We raised our collective voices in creative ways on overdose awareness day and took our message on-line with billboards showing images of our loved ones and with hundreds of pairs of shoes representing those lost in 2017 on the Burrard Street Bridge in Vancouver and a park in Edmonton. 

As we worry about what the winter, the pandemic, and more overdose reports will bring, we have to remind ourselves that each voice is important and collectively we are strong. While we are physically isolated, we can get together as permitted in each region. We can get together on-line. We can educate our family,  friends, neighbors, and politicians in a simple way. Share your story, share the story of your loved one.  When we open hearts, we open minds, and open minds will more likely understand that it is time for a change. 

Petra

PARLIAMENTARY UPDATES AND SOME HIGHLIGHTS ON OUR OVERDOSE CRISIS PETITION - SEP and OCT

September 24 - Mr. Gord Johns (Courtenay—Alberni, NDP):  Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to table a petition on behalf of residents from Cumberland and Courtney. They call on the government to declare the current opioid overdose and fentanyl poisoning crisis a national public health emergency under the Emergencies Act in order that the government can manage and resource this crisis with the aim of reducing and eliminating preventable deaths from poisoned fentanyl. We have lost over 147 residents in British Columbia in August alone. The government has not declared it a public health emergency even though over 15,000 Canadians have died since 2016. The petitioners want the government to reform current drug policy and decriminalize personal possession. Last, they want the government to create with urgency and immediacy a system to provide safe, unadulterated access to substances so that people who use substances experimentally, recreationally or chronically are not at imminent risk of overdose due to a contaminated source. These petitioners are mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters and cousins of people who have died and lost loved ones. The government needs to take action.

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September 28 - Mr. Gord Johns (Courtenay—Alberni, NDP):  
Mr. Speaker, sadly I am rising once again today to table a petition on behalf of constituents from Port Alberni, Qualicum and Parksville. They are raising concerns about the fact that over 15,000 Canadians died as a result of fentanyl-poisoned sources, which were preventable deaths. The number of these preventable deaths total beyond all public health emergencies in the last 20 years, including SARS, H1N1, Ebola and COVID-19.   The petitioners call on the government to declare the current opioid overdose and fentanyl poisoning crisis a national public health emergency; that it reform current drug policy to decriminalize personal possession; and create, with urgency and immediacy, a system to provide safe, unadulterated access to substances so people who use substances experimentally, recreationally or chronically are not at imminent risk of overdose due to a contaminated source.

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During the debate on the Speech from the Throne:

-NDP MP Alistair MacGregor (Cowichan-Malahat-Langford) said, “…the biggest issue facing my community right now has to be the opioid crisis, hands down… Unfortunately, there was only a single reference to the opioids crisis. "It is really unconscionable, given the public health crisis we are facing, especially in communities like mine, that only a passing reference was made…”

-Later, MacGregor also asked, “…Why has the Liberal government refused to call the opioid crisis a national health emergency? Why is it not heeding calls of organizations like the chiefs of police to decriminalize this? Why is it not providing the federal resources that so many communities across the country need to finally get a handle on this crisis?”

-When NDP MP Richard Cannings (South Okanagan—West Kootenay) asked whether the hundreds of thousands of people being poisoned by fentanyl would benefit from a safe supply and decriminalization, Liberal MP Kirsty Duncan said, “…We must work together. This does not take one simple fix. It is a very complex problem. Our government has taken numerous actions, and we must work together to do more.”

-Conservative MP Tracy Gray (Kelowna—Lake Country) remarked, “…First responders are dealing with overdoses continually, every day, and the government said that it will “continue to address the opioid epidemic tearing through communities”. What does this mean? There are no actions or policy ideas” When asked for her own views on declaring a public health emergency and decriminalizing possession for small amount, Gray did not respond directly but stated “…A lot of what I hear in my community is that the focus is solely on harm reduction. This is absolutely a part of dealing with the situation, but there are so many other ways that we could be dealing with this. We could do it through recovery and treatment facilities, for example, but this is not being focused on at all. It was actually in the last Conservative election platform.”

-Conservative MP Marc Dalton Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge) asked, “How do the member and New Democrats feel about the Liberal government placing more emphasis on recovery and treatment than primarily on safe injection sites?” NDP MP Jenny Kwan (Vancouver-Mount Pleasant) responded by saying “…The federal government has refused to act on this in a comprehensive way. No one ever suggested harm reduction and decriminalizing are silver bullets; we need all of those."

-Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith (Beaches—East York) said, “… we have listened to public health experts to save lives in this pandemic and need to continue to heed their advice to address the opioid epidemic. That work should include a federal task force to reset our national drug strategy, which has been called for by police chiefs, and action toward decriminalization and safer supply projects…Every serious person who has looked at this issue has said the current drug prohibition framework is killing people and that we need drug policy reform to save lives. I hope we have a serious conversation about this and put the politics aside to save lives going forward in the same way we have put politics aside in the course of this pandemic…”

-NDP MP Charlie Angus (Timmins—James Bay) stated, “…In the midst of the pandemic, we are dealing with the other great pandemic: the opioid crisis. It has been a disaster…We have to be ready to work together to get through this, but that means the Liberal government has to move on from positive words. They think if they say positive words, they get positive results, but that is not how it works. Positive words mean action. Action means we have to get the money out now to address the opioid and homelessness crisis…”

-Green Party MP Paul Manly (Nanaimo—Ladysmith) said, “…We have an opioid crisis in this country. Thousands of people have died from drug poisonings. Addiction is a health and social issue. Our public health officers are telling us to follow evidence-based solutions to this crisis. We need to listen…”

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October 22 - Mr. Todd Doherty (Cariboo—Prince George) was the only one to raise the overdose crisis in House of Commons last week, after days of silence from MPs on this urgent matter:

When Canada was being thrust into the first wave and we had a shortage of personal protective equipment, why did our Prime Minister and the government ship tonnes of personal protective gear? Why, when we are thrust into an opioid crisis, has the government not done anything about that?  Canadians, and the health and safety of Canadians, should always remain the first priority…”The COVID-19 pandemic is discussed each day. MSTH does not understand why our other great pandemic is not raised every day! That MPs take the overdose crisis more seriously by participating in our petition to the Government of Canada.

During question period, Conservative MP Todd Doherty (Cariboo-Prince George) mentioned that the overdose crisis has impacted his family and said “This is a national health care crisis. Why is the Prime Minister missing in action?” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was deeply sorry to hear about his colleague's and family's loss. Trudeau also stated, “To help people with substance use disorders, we have made it easier to access medication like Suboxone and Methadone. We have made it easier to set up overdose prevention sites. We have supported community-based products through the substance use and addictions program. We will continue to rely on science. We will continue to listen to experts. We will continue to use harm reduction and safe consumption sites as a way to move forward in protecting vulnerable people and respecting public health advice.”

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October 26 - Mrs. Tracy Gray (Kelowna—Lake Country, CPC):  
Mr. Speaker, we are only in October and already the drug overdose deaths in the Okanagan have surpassed that for the entire year of 2019. Unfortunately, the numbers are similarly surreal across British Columbia. One does not have to look far to find someone in my community who has a family member who has, unfortunately, fallen victim to addiction. This is a crisis and we need action now. Why is the health minister continuing to drag her heels in taking action on addiction and recovery?

Response: by Hon. Patty Hajdu (Minister of Health, Lib.):  
Mr. Speaker, my heart goes out to the member opposite. I do not think any of us in this room can say we are not touched by someone who struggles with substance use or mental health issues. That is why we have taken this issue so seriously. In fact, with regard to the opiate overdose crisis, it is this government that restored harm reduction to Canada's drug strategy, that brought back compassion to an approach to supporting people who use substances to recover, to ensure that people could access a safer supply of substances and use substances in a way that could connect them to resources and begin that hard process of recovery. This is not an easy problem, it does not have an easy solution, but we are working very hard with in particular B.C. and all of the provinces and territories.

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Other highlights:

-Liberal MP Arif Virani (Parkdale-High Park) made a statement in the House, saying “…Opioid overdoses are now responsible for more deaths in the country each month than COVID-19…Our government is investing $9.5 million to ensure the safe supply of opioids. This approach, coupled with supports and treatments for substance use addiction, will help save lives and improve public health...”

-NDP MP Alistair MacGregor (Cowichan—Malahat—Langford) also made a statement. He said, “In B.C. alone this year, we have already lost 1,000 lives, five times more than have been claimed by COVID-19. Despite these statistics, the Liberals only gave the opioid crisis a passing reference in the throne speech. The government continues to avoid declaring a public health emergency, continues to ignore experts who are calling for decriminalization, and continues to fail the communities bearing the brunt of this crisis.

#BCVotes2020 Election Report Cards

Our BC members have created a survey for party leaders and candidates for the upcoming BC election to determine where parties and future MLAs plant to address the on-going drug poisoning crisis that is killing more people in BC than COVID-19.

We would like to know where parties stand what they will do on “safe supply” (prescription grade alternatives to toxic street drugs), on the decriminalization of people who use drugs, on providing rapid access to evidence-based treatment, and what parties’ overall approach to drug policy is.

Results will be tabulated in report cards, similar to those issued to Alberta politicians before that provincial election or those the Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy (CCSDP) issued before the last federal election in 2019.

You can help us by sharing this survey with your local candidates. We will be listing responses from individual candidates on this blog.

Survey Results

Yes to Safe Supply and Decrim

Survey results are posted in the order in which they were received, except for party leader’s responses (non received to date). Full answers to all questions can be viewed in this document.

• Sonia Furstenau (Party Leader), Green Party of British Columbia, Cowichan Valley

• Scott Bernstein, Green Party of British Columbia, Vancouver-Kingsway

• Stephanie Hendy, Green Party of British Columbia, Vancouver-Langara

• Maayan Kreitzman, Green Party of British Columbia, False Creek

• Teresa McLean, British Columbia New Democratic Party, Victoria/Swan Lake

• Rob Lyon, Green Party of British Columbia, Parksville Qualicum

• Amanda Poon, Green Party of British Columbia, Kelowna-Mission

• Nazanin Moghadami, Green Party of British Columbia, Vancouver-Kensington,

• Adam Bremner-Akins, Green Party of British Columbia, Coquitlam-Burke Mountain

• Tim Ibbotson, Green Party of British Columbia, Surrey South,

• Andrew Williamson, Green Party of British Columbia, Burnaby Lougheed

• Devyani Singh, Green Party of British Columbia, Vancouver-Point Grey

• Kelly Tatham, Green Party of British Columbia, Vancouver-Mount Pleasant

• Anna Thomas, British Columbia NDP, Kamloops-South Thompson

• Kate O'Connor, Green Party of British Columbia, Saanich South

• Adam Olsen, Green Party of British Columbia, Saanich North and the Islands

Responded to survey on behalf of a party (not a candidate)

Full answers can be viewed on this document.

• Deanna Drschiwiski, BC Ecosocialists, Riding: None. Yes to Safe Supply and Decrim

Emotional Memorial Photo at the Saskatchewan Legislature

On August 17, 2020 Saskatchewan MSTH member families gathered at the Regina Legislature for an emotional group photo as , well as striking individual photos to remember loved ones lost to substance use related causes.

The event was organized by Regina member Jenny Churchill and with the support of MSTH board member Marie Agioritis. The photographer for this memorial photo was Nicole Gerhardt, Jenny’s daughter, who’s own experience of losing her brother Jordan, helps her in capturing raw emotion of these grieving mothers.

Media was on sit and Global News shared the report on their Facebook page.

With the upcoming provincial election in Saskatchewan on October 26th these images are a stark reminder that this public health crisis has been ignored by the current government. Advocates call for full funding of harm reduction services, including supervised consumption services (SCS), rapid access to safe supply (pharmaceutical alternatives to toxic street drugs) and to evidence based treatment, as well as an end to the criminalization of people who use drugs.