Mayor wants new government to move urgently on opioids
B.C.’s drug crisis ‘bloodbath’ with no end in sight, Robertson says
Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson is calling on the “new B.C. government” to deal with B.C.’s opioid “bloodbath”.
“The near-record number of drug overdose deaths in the fentanyl crisis is a bloodbath in all corners of Vancouver with no end in sight,” Robertson said in a statement. “With a new B.C. government there’s now some hope for getting people desperately needed treatment options swiftly and without stigma.”
The mayor urged the province to take “immediate action” and to “dramatically ramp up overdose prevention and education efforts.”
Robertson was responding to numbers released last week by the B.C. Coroners Service showing there were 488 overdose deaths in B.C. in the first four months of 2017 and if that rate continues the province will surpass 1,400 overdose deaths by the end of the year. There were 935 deaths in 2016, which was a record at the time.
During the week of May 22, the Vancouver Police Department reported nine overdose deaths, up four from the previous week. That week also saw a 59 per cent increase in the number of overdose response calls.
As of Friday, there have been 170 overdose deaths in 2017 in Vancouver alone. If the trend continues, the city is on track to record more than 400 overdose deaths by the end of the year.
Health Canada approved a second supervised injection site for the Downtown Eastside, while a second application is pending approval. Two others were also approved for Surrey and are scheduled to open in June.
Fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid that is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, is blamed for the spike in overdose deaths.
Health Canada says fentanyl and related synthetic opioids are being detected in samples of cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine.