Health
Josie Osborne, Minister of Health, and Dr. Bonnie Henry, provincial health officer, have issued the following statements marking the 10th anniversary of the toxic-drug crisis being declared a public-health emergency:
Josie Osborne, Minister of Health, said:
“Today marks a decade of the toxic-drug public-health emergency, and over a decade of lives lost to increasingly unpredictable and highly toxic street drugs. This crisis is impacting our entire province, as well as Canada and North America, and has been filled with heartbreak, fear and grief for families, friends and colleagues. Each person lost was once a child, someone with a story and a future, a life cut short and a loss that families and communities will carry forever.
“Substance use often begins with experiences such as trauma, mental- and physical-health challenges, poverty, stigma and barriers to safe and stable supports. No one sets out intending to become addicted. That is why we continue to fight stigma and break down barriers to keep people alive and ensure they can access the help they need.
“Over the past decade, we have taken important steps to save lives, expand care and keep communities safe, recognizing that the toxic-drug crisis is complex and has no single solution. Working across government and with partners, these actions reduce substance-related harms, increase prevention and education, and expand access to treatment, supportive housing and other supports like Foundry centres, the Road to Recovery model, overdose-prevention services, take-home naloxone, drug checking, prescribed alternatives, opioid agonist treatment and digital tools that enable rapid response to overdoses.
“Together, these efforts alongside other factors, such as changes to the drug supply, have contributed to the declining number of deaths caused by toxic drugs from 2,315 in 2024 to 1,826 in 2025. The BC Centre for Disease Control regularly models the estimated number of death events averted due to harm reduction and opioid agonist treatment interventions. From January 2019 to October 2025, 49,560 death events, or 78% of potential death events, were prevented with take-home naloxone (39,960), observed consumption sites (17,060) and opioid agonist treatment (23,520).
“But even one death is one too many, and as this emergency continues to evolve, people are still experiencing harms associated with toxic-drug poisoning. This means our work is nowhere near done. On this solemn anniversary, we honour all lives lost to the toxic-drug crisis, and we mourn them alongside their families, friends and communities. We express our deep gratitude to the advocates, peer-support workers, counsellors and health-care workers, clinicians, researchers and many others whose tireless efforts continue to confront this crisis, both on the front lines and behind the scenes. And we reaffirm our commitment to reducing stigma, expanding treatment and recovery options, strengthening harm reduction and meeting people where they are. Together, we continue to improve access to care and help more people stay safe and get the help they need.”
Dr. Bonnie Henry, provincial health officer, said:
“It has been 10 years since the toxic-drug crisis was declared a public-health emergency in B.C., and its impacts continue to be felt across every community in the province. This crisis continues to take a profound toll, affecting individuals, families and communities, and placing an ongoing strain on those who provide care and support, including front-line and peer-support workers.
“Over the years, the increasingly toxic and unpredictable street-drug supply has turned an already serious situation into something far more dangerous, putting people at extreme and increased risk. The emergency has been exacerbated by various factors, including the COVID-19 pandemic, gaps in the health-care system, housing instability and homelessness, poverty, the impacts of colonialism and racism, criminalization and stigma, as well as other determinants of health. People working in the trades, men and Indigenous people continue to experience a disproportionate number of overdoses and deaths, and many of those we are losing do not have substance-use disorders, underscoring how unpredictable and dangerous the drug supply has become.
“Evidence shows that harm-reduction and overdose-prevention services, including overdose-prevention sites, drug checking and access to alternatives to unregulated drugs, are saving lives. Now more than ever, it is essential that we continue to enable access to these services. At the same time, recovery looks different for everybody and there is no single approach that will end this crisis. Prevention and early intervention, harm reduction, medication-assisted treatment and other evidence-based treatment and recovery services and social supports must be available when people need and are ready for them.
“For these reasons, this crisis remains a public-health emergency that demands a continued response rooted in compassion, respect and evidence. Maintaining this declaration allows us to respond to the highly toxic and unpredictable, unregulated drug supply and strengthen a comprehensive approach to preventing drug poisonings.
“We must continue to take new and innovative approaches that meet people where they are, expanding access to safer alternatives to the unregulated drug supply alongside existing treatments. This work must be done in partnership with people with lived and living experience and through meaningful partnerships with Indigenous people, ensuring solutions are shaped by those most affected and grounded in respect, rights and self-determination.”
Quotes:
Dr. Nel Wieman, chief medical officer, First Nations Health Authority –
“Since 2016, the toxic-drug public-health emergency has changed the lives of many and continues to disproportionately affect First Nations communities across British Columbia. I must acknowledge the positive impact of First Nations-led harm-reduction efforts. The data shows that lives are saved through connection and culture and when programs and services are community led. The FNHA will continue to provide culturally safe harm-reduction supports, as we walk hand in hand with First Nations people through this crisis.”
Dr. Bernie Pauly, scientist, Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, and community engaged scholar, University of Victoria –
“We must continue to name this crisis and mourn the preventable deaths of community members, neighbours, friends and family. It is imperative we move from criminalized approaches to public-health approaches, to scale up evidence-based interventions that prevent toxic-drug deaths and move toward a regulated supply.”
A backgrounder follows.
