Health-care and community social services workers throughout British Columbia will be able to access more mental-health supports as the province expands tailor-made programs for the sector.

People in Langley and Fraser South living with complex mental-health and substance-use challenges who are at risk of, or experiencing homelessness, will benefit as the Province adds 50 complex-care housing spaces in the region.

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

People working in the construction industry will benefit from life-saving harm-reduction training in the workplace, substance-use support groups and information on local community resources thanks to new provincial funding.

Sheila Malcolmson, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, has issued the following year-end statement regarding mental-health supports during the holiday season:

People living in British Columbia now have more access to publicly funded substance-use treatment and recovery services as 105 newly funded beds are now fully operational.

Sheila Malcolmson, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, has released the following statement for National Addictions Awareness Week:

People in the Fraser Health region and throughout British Columbia living with substance-use challenges will benefit from the rapid implementation of new and expanded services.

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.