Province urged to do more to tackle overdose crisis

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This article was published 20/06/2022 (1373 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s time to declare the drug overdose crisis a public health emergency and take immediate action to prevent it from killing more Manitobans, advocates say.

During a Monday event on the steps of the Manitoba legislature, members of the Manitoba Health Coalition, Moms Stop the Harm and others gathered to demand Premier Heather Stefanson take several steps to lessen the danger.

“The overdose crisis is spiraling out of control while our city and our province pursue a failed law enforcement approach to a public health emergency,” said Thomas Linner, provincial director of the Manitoba Health Coalition.

In addition to the emergency declaration, the groups are pushing the premier to: ensure more frequent reporting on overdose deaths; shift oversight of drug overdoses from the province’s justice minister to its mental health and community wellness minister; create a working group on harm reduction; ask Ottawa to decriminalize small amounts of illicit drug possession; establish, fund and staff at least one safe drug consumption site in Winnipeg; provide access to a “safe and regulated supply” of drugs for known users; and fund drug-testing equipment that allows those using drugs to confirm what’s in their substances.

“Unless we take serious action now, this year is going to be far worse than last year was. It’s unsustainable and it doesn’t have to be this way,” said Linner.

After more than 400 drug-related deaths took place in Manitoba in 2021, it’s clear we must move beyond a “justice system” approach to the issue, said Arlene Last-Kolb, regional director of Moms Stop the Harm.

“This is a health issue. What we are talking about is saving lives… If you are dead from a poisonous drug supply, you will not make it to treatment,” said Last-Kolb, who carried a chain with more than 1,700 ribbons to honour Manitobans who have died from drug overdoses since 2016.

City of Winnipeg Coun. Sherri Rollins, who also took part in the announcement, argued the province is responsible for health care and needs to invest more to prevent municipal emergency services from struggling to cope with addictions-related demands.

Linner said deeming the drug poisoning crisis a public health emergency would allow government to speed up work to address it, possibly by reducing public consultation on specific projects.

The group is urging residents to write to their MLAs to push for the changes, through an online letter at https://www.mbhealthcoalition.ca/public_health_emergency

When asked about the demands during a brief media availability Monday, the premier said her thoughts and prayers are with those who’ve lost loved ones due to drug use, while noting steps her government has taken to support addictions treatment.

“We’re continuing to put more supports into things like (rapid access to addictions medicine) clinics to ensure that we get those individuals off of the addictions and (they) can heal in the community as well. So those are the types of supports that we’re investing in. They have proven track records, very good ones, and we’ll continue to make those investments,” said Stefanson.

A health ministry spokesperson did not directly answer if the province is willing to take any of the specific steps listed by the advocates.

“Our government is committed to reducing risk for people using drugs and helping people get access to programs and services to overcome their addictions. We continue evaluating and implementing evidence-based, safe, cost-effective harm reduction and addictions treatment programs and services for Manitobans,” the spokesperson wrote, in an emailed statement.

— with files from Danielle Da Silva

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga