Premier John Horgan; Sheila Malcolmson, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions; and Dr. Bonnie Henry, provincial health officer, have issued the following statement on the six-year anniversary of drug-related overdoses being declared a public health emergency in British Columbia:

A panel of subject-matter experts convened by the BC Coroners Service is calling for increased access to a safer supply of drugs and creation of an evidence-based continuum of care to better support substance users and reduce the number of illicit drug-related deaths in B.C.

People throughout British Columbia will continue to benefit from access to low- and no-cost counselling services with the extension of government funding to local community counselling agencies.

The Province is enhancing supports in order to provide even better crisis line services for British Columbians.

British Columbia has taken an important step forward to prevent drug poisoning deaths by applying to the federal government to remove criminal penalties for people who possess small amounts of illicit drugs for personal use.

More British Columbians now have access to free and low-cost support for mental health and substance-use challenges with expanded funding for community-based counselling programs, including virtual sessions, throughout the province.

More children, teens and young adults will gain better access to mental health support through an investment to expand Stigma-Free programs and a special mental health toolkit.