BC NDP and Conservatives both light on solutions to toxic drug crisis, former city councillor says
Over 20,000 people have died from unregulated drugs in BC since 2014. The NDP and Conservatives offer few concrete solutions, while the Greens propose harm reduction and housing investment.
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Both the BC NDP and Conservatives have devoted little platform space to addressing the unregulated toxic drug crisis that has killed over 20,000 people in the province since fentanyl was added to the drug supply in 2014, according to analysis by Geoff Meggs, former Vancouver city councillor and chief of staff to former NDP premier John Horgan.
BC declared a public health emergency in 2016. That status remains in force, yet both major parties focus their drug policy commitments on street disorder rather than the underlying crisis, Meggs told The Tyee. "Until we recognize that and recognize how hard it is to stop them once they start, we're not going to make any headway," he said.
Meggs pointed to root causes that neither party addresses adequately in their platforms: intergenerational violence, trauma, chronic injury, disease, and struggles due to inequality. The illicit drugs are causing "a staggering amount of suffering and death" and "enormously benefiting organized crime," he said, assessing that both the NDP and Conservative platforms "fall way short of adequately addressing the crisis."
The NDP has announced three separate press releases on drug use and street disorder, committing $90 million for an involuntary care facility in Oliver, doubling the Repeat Violent Offending Intervention initiative, investing in indoor places for unhoused people in the Downtown Eastside, and hiring 50 new Crown prosecutors.
The Conservatives have promised to hire 50 new Crown prosecutors and 750 more police and RCMP officers. They also propose to rework BC laws to detain drug users and unhoused people, forcing detained people into treatment or "care." Meggs characterized both parties' approach as pursuing an "out of sight, out of mind" strategy.
The BC Greens, by contrast, propose to expand access to harm reduction strategies including safer supply, decriminalization, and overdose prevention sites. They also propose introducing regulations for the treatment industry and investing in housing, mental health services, voluntary care, community-based outpatient substance use and treatment services.
The Tyee sent media requests to both the BC NDP and BC Conservative Party. Neither party made anyone available to respond.
The facts
How many people have died from unregulated drugs in BC since 2014?
Over 20,000 people have died from unregulated drugs in British Columbia since fentanyl was added to the drug supply in 2014.
What is the BC NDP committing to spend on an involuntary care facility?
The BC NDP has committed $90 million for an involuntary care facility in Oliver.
How many new police and RCMP officers are the BC Conservatives promising to hire?
The BC Conservatives have promised to hire 750 more police and RCMP officers.
What does the BC Green Party propose to address the drug crisis?
The BC Greens propose expanding access to harm reduction strategies including safer supply, decriminalization, and overdose prevention sites, along with investing in housing, mental health services, and community-based substance use and treatment services.
