Whereas it is understood that opioid addictions continue to cause an ever growing record number of heart breaking deaths and debilitations across the country; And whereas while we understand the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia have lerecognized these impacts, it remains critically important to advocate for a national public health emergency through the municipal voices provided by the Union of British Columbia Municipalities UBCM and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities FCM: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM requests the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia declare the overdose crisis a national public health emergency and develop appropriate comprehensive, holistic Pan-Canadian overdose action plans that include the legislative and funding frameworks for decriminalization, de-stigmatization, free and safe supply, suitable medical treatments and thereby function to holistically address the opioid crisis, mental health issues and their connections to homelessness and overdose deaths in local governments across Canada.
Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions The Government of BC is working closely with the Government of Canada on a number of jurisdictional issues related to the federal Controlled Drugs and Substances Act to identify shared priorities and opportunities to collaboratively address the ongoing toxic drug crisis. BCs Provincial Health Officer declared a public health emergency in 2016 due to rising illicit drug toxicity deaths, and the Government of BC is supportive of all action at a federal level to continue to address toxic drug crisis in partnership. The Province has moved away from urging the federal government to declare the toxic drug crisis a national public health emergency. The Emergencies Act formerly known as the War Measures Act and under which a national public health emergency would be declared, is intended to provide a short-term response and to provide authority and capacity to respond which is beyond that which the province has. The legislation is not set up for this type of long-term public health emergency and would offer us no advantages, such as new resources. Since 2017, the Government of BC has accelerated its response to the toxic drug crisis by investing a total of 938 million to expand existing services and add new resources across the full spectrum of substance use care. A Pathway to Hope, released by the Government of BC in 2019, sets the 10-year vision for a new system of mental health and substance use care, with an emphasis on prevention, promotion, early intervention, and integrated services, that builds on existing initiatives and implements new, innovative approaches. BC is the first province in Canada to offer prescribed safe supply. People have been accessing prescribed safe supply since March 2020, when the Province introduced the first phase of the program. From March 2020 to December 2021, more than 12,000 people were dispensed prescribed safer supply through Risk Mitigation Guidance and, of those, more than 7,000 58 were prescribed an opioid. The second phase of prescribed safer supply is being implemented in health authorities and federally funded SAFER programs settings. Government is investing 22.6 million over the next three years to support health authorities in implementing prescribed safer supply. Funding will support expansion of existing and creation of new programs, increasing staffing capacity through hiring new full-time-equivalent positions, and robust monitoring and evaluation of this policy. BC is the first jurisdiction in Canada to receive an exemption from the federal government to remove criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of illicit substances for personal use. Decriminalization will come into effect on January 31, 2023. BCs decriminalization proposal was developed with input from a range of stakeholders, including representatives from UBCM, as well as Indigenous partners, people with lived experience, law enforcement agencies, and health experts. Additionally, the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions held a townhall with local governments to discuss decriminalization and presented to the UBCM Health and Social Development Committee on the topic. The Ministry has valued the perspectives of local governments in the planning phase and looks forward to further engagement as we implement this important change. This work will include the development of a robust monitoring and evaluation framework. The Government of BC looks forward to continued collaboration with the Government of Canada to advance initiatives such as the decriminalization of drug possession and others that require bilateral collaboration.