5331 replies to this topic

[Beacon]

Obviously, the epicenter of the problem is with Sidney.

 

A good decision making skills class somehow didn't make the cut.

[Beacon]

Speaking of cuts, I noticed the no new funding for AEDs and Naloxone training and kits for the schools,  so since these new things are mandated, what will the Schools be forced to cut this time?   More music and arts?  Sports programs?  Home Econ?

 

I fail to see how Investing more in "safe" drug use culture like "use with a friend" will bring us a brighter future.

[dasmo]

Yes, bring safe drug use to the schools and ban picnics in the woods. Thanks for keeping us safe government!

[Matt R.]

Basic first aid is a life skill. Everyone should know this stuff.

[Victoria Watcher]

Victoria sees uptick in drug deaths in midst of provincial decline

There were 15 drug deaths in Victoria in June, with 56 recorded during the first six months of the year

https://www.vicnews....decline-8176682

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 06 August 2025 - 12:44 PM.

[Victoria Watcher]

Let’s stop enabling the drug trade

Re: “It’s not the staff’s job to call out drug dealers on Pandora,” commentary, Aug. 4.

If I see a house on fire, it is my duty to warn the occupants and call the fire department.

If I see a drug addict overdosing on the sidewalk, it is my duty to call for help and try my best to help.

If I see a crime, it is my duty to report it and halt it, if I can do that safely.

But now we are told that the highly paid activists who work in the Island Health drug dens should be allowed to turn a blind eye to crime? And they should have impunity for the random acts of violence perpetrated by their tax-funded clients, whom they supervise getting loaded out of their brains on heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine?

And 28.8% of drug deaths in Victoria are happening in tax-funded shelters and hotels; worse than any other jurisdiction, and 61% more than the deaths on the city streets.

Civic duty applies to everybody, including Island Health workers and the many people profiting from the homeless industry. I think we can all agree — stop enabling the drug trade; and start ­arresting the profiteers, and start ­rehabilitating the users.

Michael Muret

Victoria




https://www.timescol...ortage-11042688

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 07 August 2025 - 01:41 AM.

[Victoria Watcher]

Province's stance on sober housing frustrates Nanaimo mayor

 

Leonard Krog says province won’t give people trying to recover from addiction a fighting chance to succeed

 

https://www.timescol...-mayor-11093841

 

 

 

 

The province’s refusal to consider a request from Nanaimo city council to provide sober housing for those who qualify for supportive housing has the mayor of Nanaimo scratching his head.

 

In an interview, Mayor Leonard Krog said he can’t understand why the province won’t give people trying to recover from addiction a fighting chance to succeed.

 

“Surely, if we can offer facilities where people who are in active addiction can take their drugs safely, and we’re prepared to staff and fund those, is it unreasonable to expect that we would be able to provide housing for people who, hopefully, have a chance to not end up on the streets in the horrible conditions that many live in now,” Krog said.

 

Krog’s comments came after hearing that provincial Housing Minister Christine Boyle is going to turn down the city’s request that the province should look at “sober housing” for those who qualify for supportive housing to give people in recovery a better chance of success, and to have B.C. Housing consider converting its proposed 50-unit supportive housing project at 250 Terminal Ave. to a sober housing project.

 

According to the ministry, it is still in the process of responding to Nanaimo’s request, but it confirmed the Terminal Avenue project will not be designated as recovery-oriented supportive housing/dry/sober housing.

 

Krog said if the province is going to offer housing for people who face challenges and are homeless, he doesn’t understand why there can’t be options for people trying to get into recovery.

 

“Shouldn’t they have access to housing where their fellow residents are, in fact, trying to or are staying free of substance abuse,” he said.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As much as I agree with Krog.   There are virtually no homeless people that are not either suffering from addiction, or serious mental health disorders.   Everyone else can, and usually does, maintain a job (or some type of income stream) and a home.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 19 August 2025 - 06:55 AM.

[Victoria Watcher]

Other mayors could learn from Leonard Krog

We need more local governments with views similar to those of Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog. He is working for his community to support public safety and manage disorder.

If all mayors worked together with similar views, we would see positive change in our communities.

Clearly, the B.C. NDP and federal Liberal policies on decriminalization have failed communities and those with addiction and mental health issues. The failure is visible and obvious.

A change in direction is required. Unfortunately, it will take another ­provincial election and another federal election.

 

Phil Harrison

Comox

 

 

 

 

Government encourages social destruction

The provincial government’s refusal to provide sober accommodation for ­recovering drug addicts in Nanaimo is like treating alcoholics by housing them in a pub.

The situation is made worse because the government provides the drugs, which is like buying drinks for ­alcoholics.

Competent administrators in the field have long seen the need to separate those in recovery from active users. Why is the government’s policy to ­continue to encourage the consumption of opioids and the social destruction that is the inevitable result?

The minister’s word salad of an ­explanation simply camouflages the ­reason for her policy.

 

John Appleby

Duncan

 

 

 

 

https://www.timescol...e-care-11110862

[LJ]

I know John.

[E2V]

There’s a very good article online at Quillette.com titled Rethinking “Harm Reduction”. The author points out that although harm reduction and eventual recovery were once linked they no longer are and treating harm reduction as a permanent alternative without a path to recovery has produced disastrous results. He uses San Francisco as an example where a new mayor with new ideas is bringing the city back from the brink. Policies at other cities, such as Vancouver, are examined as well.

[Victoria Watcher]

The sewage in New England's exclusive Nantucket retreat is full of cocaine, according to local authorities, who this summer began testing it to monitor potential drug use in a popular summer getaway for the rich and powerful.


https://www.foxnews....ne-levels-water

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 29 August 2025 - 04:42 AM.

[Victoria Watcher]

'At every point, the system made his condition worse': Victoria father

B.C. families demand action on toxic drug crisis as 2,000 more have died since last year's Overdose Prevention Day gathering



https://www.vicnews....-father-8226298

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 02 September 2025 - 12:21 PM.

[dasmo]

That's an ad....

 

"The drug toxicity continues to be the leading cause of death in B.C. for people ages 19 to 59, pointed out Lisa Lapointe, former B.C. chief coroner, in her speech.

"What could be more important?" she asked, calling for standardized, evidence-based, free treatment. "Why isn't our government bringing this kind of health care into the health care fold?"

Even though Mahoney and his wife are both graduate-level educated, he said they could not navigate the system to help their son. The best they could do was "very expensive" private treatment programs, all abstinence-based; programs he felt ridiculed people for taking any prescribed psychiatric medications.

"In every step, you're punished and stigmatized," he said.

At one point before his death, Michael had been "fairly stable" while he was on pharmaceutical alternatives, also known as safe supply, a word that Mahoney says has now been "polluted" by politics and misinformation."

 

 

"drug toxicity" is the problem. We need more "safe supply"

It's engineering consent for government supplying harder drugs. 

[Victoria Watcher]

Couple things I wish were explained better:



Mahoney's son, Michael, developed a substance use disorder at 13 when prescribed oxycodone for a medical issue. His journey ended at 21 with him dying alone in his car.


[…]


At one point before his death, Michael had been "fairly stable" while he was on pharmaceutical alternatives, also known as safe supply, a word that Mahoney says has now been "polluted" by politics and misinformation.


But when Michael lost the person that was supplying him with the alternatives, he turned to the street supply that killed him.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 02 September 2025 - 12:31 PM.

[LJ]

Yup, they will do anything but quit taking drugs.

 

Now there is a new one, Nitazene, apparently Narcan won't reverse the opioid effect.

[Victoria Watcher]

‘Callous’: Marg Gardiner’s anti-harm reduction motion shot down by Victoria city council

 

 

As Victoria’s city council returned to session this week, Councillor Marg Gardiner brought forth a motion that would seek to pressure the Province to end temporary decriminalization of illicit drugs. 

This decriminalization of small amounts of certain illicit drugs was sought and implemented as a strategic approach to the toxic drug crisis through a harm reduction lens. 

However, this three-year decriminalization initiative is just a temporary exemption from the Canadian Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and will be ending on January 31st, 2026. 

The BC government has yet to indicate whether they will seek an extension or renewal to decriminalization of small amounts of illicit drugs, but Gardiner’s motion sought to have Mayor Marianne Alto write a letter stating that Victoria would be against the endeavour. 

In Gardiner’s motion, she wrote, “‘Harm reduction’ is an obscene phrase that obscures the harm done by illicit drug use.”

The motion noted a 5% rise in toxic drug deaths in 2023 from 2022, but failed to mention an 11% decrease in drug deaths in 2024, according to BC Coroners Service data. 

Furthermore, thus far in 2025, toxic drug deaths have gone down by an average of 25% in the months that have data released by the BC Coroners Service. 

After Councillor Gardiner moved and motivated her motion, Councillor Stephen Hammond seconded the matter, but stated he would not be supporting it. 

“Politically, I thought, how do I deal with this,” said Hammond in the meeting. 

He said he is horrified by how many deaths have occurred because of the toxic drug crisis, and admitted that he will never understand what someone struggling with addiction is going through. 

However, he did admit that he understood the reasoning behind Gardiner bringing the motion forward. 

“I think the only thing that we see is people saying ‘it equals death,’ as a matter of fact I’m looking at something that was delivered to us that [says] if we were to do this, ‘it equals death,’” continued Hammond. 

“Well guess what? There is an enormous amount of death that is going on because there just seems to be more and more use of these very, very, very dangerous drugs that, from the grace of whomever, have not touched my life, personally.”

He concluded there has to be a lot more work done to advance harm prevention and reduction.

Next, Councillor Krista Loughton spoke to the matter, saying that this motion is the first time she has felt ashamed to be sitting on Victoria’s city council. 

“I can understand that decriminalization and harm reduction can seem counter-intuitive to someone who is not well-versed in the issues, but we need to remember that they are a critical piece of the solutions to what we are seeing on the street,” she said. 

“We have a year left in our term to make a tangible difference and this motion will take us in the wrong direction.”

 

 

https://victoriabuzz...a-city-council/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 05 September 2025 - 02:11 PM.

[Victoria Watcher]

The new owners of a beloved small grocery store in Nanaimo are questioning whether it was a mistake to buy the business.

 

The Parmar family says the constant criminal activity, related to drug use, has them thinking about selling and moving back to India.

 

Superette Foods is billed as Nanaimo’s best-kept secret for its fresh produce and fair prices, but the owner’s say the store is no secret among the city’s criminals.

 

 

https://cheknews.ca/...-crime-1276663/

 

 

“It’s not only frustrating. I feel insecure, and I told my wife the day before yesterday that we have made the mistake of our lives by coming here. We should think about moving back if this thing keeps going on,” said Patel.

 

The Nanaimo Area Public Safety Association says no grocery store should face this level of crime.

 

“This is their dream, and it makes me mad that they may have to close and move, even back to India, where they say it’s better. The government here has got to pick up their socks,” said Kevan Shaw, the association’s VP.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 05 September 2025 - 09:25 PM.

[Barrister]

The government has no intention of actually doing anything other than increases jobs for the boys in what has become a huge industry in this province.

[Victoria Watcher]

Snyder is new to the Comox Valley, having moved here about a year ago to find a new community that could support him in recovery and keep him away from his previous connections to the area that fed his addiction in Nanaimo. 

 

“I’m trying to build (a support system) again. Such a big piece in another meaningful life is to build connections with people and that’s been a constant thing I’m trying to develop.”

 

For Snyder to move to recovery, he had to look inside himself and realize that he was important.

 

“For me, it was developing the feeling that I deserve better and figuring out how to develop that … Once I was able to see myself from the third person and with empathy for myself (I knew I was ready).”

 

Overdosing has left him with brain damage that will serve as a reminder of his years as an addict, but he is moving forward and embracing each day for the better. He is finding self-worth that he didn’t have before and continues to work on the positives he is uncovering. He reminds himself he needs to be gentle with himself as he navigates through this new life.

 

 

https://www.saanichn...verdose-8232918

 

 

 

About a 30-paragraph article.  Never mentions if this guy can ever work again (if he ever has).

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 08 September 2025 - 06:21 AM.

[Victoria Watcher]

This pre-amble to the article above, at least in one paper, I thought quite odd:

 

 

 

 

As B.C.’s toxic drug crisis nears the 10-year mark, it’s difficult to find someone in the province who hasn’t been affected in some way. Since the province’s first needle exchange program launched in the 1990s, the street supply has only grown stronger and more dangerous - so much so that many people now use drugs simply to stay alive. Yet one of the greatest challenges they face isn’t just the drugs themselves, but the stigma that surrounds drug use.

 

In this series, The Record aims to show that people who use drugs are our neighbours, coworkers, friends, and family; everyday community members who deserve respect. Addiction does not discriminate, and drug use can touch anyone.

 

 

 

https://www.comoxval...verdose-8217174

 

 

 

 

 

The Record aims to show that people who use drugs are our neighbours, coworkers, friends, and family; everyday community members who deserve respect.

 

 

Really.  

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 08 September 2025 - 06:29 AM.