SURREY (January 31, 2023) – MLA Elenore Sturko, Mental Health, Addictions and Recovery Shadow Minister, has released the following statement on the BC Coroners Service report on illicit drug toxicity deaths for 2022:
“The Coroner’s latest report confirms once again the enormously tragic impact the overdose crisis is having on thousands in B.C. as 2,272 lives were lost to a toxic drug overdose in 2022.
“We cannot continue to take the same failed approach over and over again and expect different results. More of the same is simply unacceptable.
“Almost a year has passed since the BC Coroners Service Death Review Panel report was published, which outlined the urgency of the crisis in our province and included a 30/60/90-day action plan. To this day, the NDP government has ignored the urgent timetable and has failed to take meaningful steps to address serious gaps in the system of care. Just today, B.C.’s Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe said, ‘there are people who are dying while they’re waiting for treatment recovery services.’
“Beyond the patchwork system that has been this NDP government’s approach for far too long, it’s time for comprehensive action. Our province needs record investment in prevention, recovery, and treatment programs now.
“People suffering from addiction must be able to immediately access the services they need when they need them. While an average of six people die of a toxic drug overdose every day in B.C., David Eby’s NDP is still more focused on rhetoric than actually delivering the resources needed to save lives.”
