Drug experiment has ‘failed’
Metro Vancouver city councils asked to seek recriminalization
VANCOUVER — Three Metro Vancouver city councillors have united to call on the province to end its “failed” drug decriminalization experiment.
They're adding to the voices of municipal politicians and opposition MLAS who are frustrated with rampant public drug use and urging Premier David Eby to follow Oregon's lead and reverse course on decriminalization of hard drugs.
Councillors Linda Annis of Surrey, Daniel Fontaine of New Westminster, and Alexa Loo of Richmond, say they’ll bring motions to their councils that would call on the B.C. NDP government to scrap the three-year experiment that started on Jan. 31, 2023.
The three councillors hired a public relations firm, using their own money, and on Monday put out a joint press release that stated: “Legalizing deadly drugs has killed users, hurt neighbourhoods and damaged B.C. communities.”
“People are just completely tired of having to see such a lack of investment in terms of things like drug rehabilitation, drug treatment, mental health,” Fontaine told Postmedia Network Monday. “You can't put this type of decriminalization in without those supports. And, in fact, I would argue, given what we've seen in Oregon, and now what we're seeing in British Columbia, those supports should come in first.”
In the face of public backlash, Oregon recriminalized hard drugs on April 1, only three years after the state removed penalties for drug possession.
Fontaine said that “the police are completely handcuffed” when dealing with open drug use, which is making people feel unsafe.
This was confirmed last week by Fiona Wilson, deputy chief of the Vancouver police and president of the B.C. Association of Chiefs of Police, who told a House of Commons’ health committee that, because of decriminalization, police have no authority to address problematic drug use.
Fontaine said he knows he’ll have support from fellow opposition Councillor Paul Minhas to table the motion which will likely be debated at the May 6 council meeting.