Lək̓ʔəŋən [LEKWUNGEN] TERRITORY / VICTORIA, B.C. — Leader of the BC Greens and candidate for Saanich North and the Islands, joined former chief coroner, Lisa Lapointe, to announce Lapointe’s candidacy for Saanich South and the BC Greens’ Toxic Drugs platform today.
“5 people die every day from the toxic drug crisis in British Columbia, making it the leading cause of death in the province,” said Lowan. “This is a crisis that has affected everyone in British Columbia; from families dealing with death, and grief, to frontline workers who spend every day dealing with trauma and harm inside a system that doesn’t support them, to communities who are left to carry the weight of a crisis that is politicised and never solved.”
“As B.C.’s chief coroner for 13 years,” said Lapointe, “I recognize that the toxic drug crisis will only be solved when politicians are willing to show leadership; when regulated alternatives are available, when voluntary treatment is available when people need it, and when people who use drugs have the same access to resources, medical care, housing, dignity and respect as anyone else.”
“Lisa knows what works, the BC Greens know what works: that’s why we’ll put an end to the failures that have driven the toxic drugs crisis,” said Lowan.
Please find the full Toxic Drugs policy brief attached.
Lisa Lapointe was B.C.’s chief coroner for 13 years, and has spent 30 years building strong relationships to support healthy and safe communities as a public servant. She is the former chair of the Canadian Forum of Chief Coroners and Chief Medical Examiners, and the British Columbia Institute of Technology’s Forensic Science and Technology Program Advisory Committee. Lisa has previously served on the Central Saanich Advisory Planning Committee, and as a hospice volunteer at Saanich Peninsula Hospital. She is a board member of PHS Community Services Society, a non-profit agency that provides housing, healthcare, harm reduction and health promotion for some of the most vulnerable and under-served people in Victoria and Vancouver. “I see many people in our neighbourhoods facing challenges accessing housing, basic health care, necessary surgeries, and mental health supports,” said Lapointe. “Our governments neglect these basic services, only to spend far more to deal with the consequences further down the road. I want to do what I can to ensure my grandchildren grow up in a province that recognizes people as our most critical asset and prioritizes their health and well-being.”
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Media contact
Prym Goodacre, Media & Campaigns Officer
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newsroom@bcgreens.ca
The BG Greens believe that every drug death is a policy failure. We can end preventable drug
deaths through evidence-based policies and solutions grounded in dignity and care.
5 people die every day from the toxic drug crisis in British Columbia.
We are in an unprecedented public health emergency that has lasted ten years and taken far too many lives.
This is a crisis that has affected everyone in British Columbia; from families dealing with death,
grief and ongoing injuries, to frontline workers who spend every day dealing with trauma and
harms inside a system with inadequate supports, and communities who are left to carry the
burden of a crisis that is politicised and never solved.
Harm reduction is under attack. This crisis will not be addressed through half-measures and
short-term pilot programs. It will not be solved by expanding a punitive system that leads to
more overdoses and a reduction in trust in health services. It will not be solved by unnecessary
involvement with the criminal justice system. The toxic drug crisis will only be solved when
politicians are willing to show leadership; when regulated alternatives are available, when
voluntary treatment is available when people need it, and when people who use drugs have the
same access to resources, medical care, housing, dignity and respect as anyone else does.
The ongoing prohibition and war on drugs have exacerbated the crisis by increasing the toxicity
of the unregulated drug supply, which now regularly includes medetomidine. The rising presence of benzodiazepines in the illicit supply has further complicated overdose reversals,
harming both people with opioid use disorder (addiction to opioids), and recreational users.
Combined with a cost-of-living crisis and a housing crisis, leading to significant increases in the
number of people homeless across BC, the toxic drug crisis is now highly visible.
On 29 September, the BC Supreme Court found that our current legislative settings around
controlled substances are unconstitutional, with Judge Murray finding that “a non-medical safe
supply is urgently needed to save lives” and “the DULF compassion club reduced the harms
associated with the toxic drug crisis and did not negatively impact the community or public
safety.
Successive actions by the NDP Government has contributed to a worsening of this crisis. The
rollback of the decriminalization pilot has increased stigma and the number of people using inside. Evidence shows that fear of criminal sanctions can prevent people from access
services, and involvement with the criminal legal system can drive harms like losing housing or
employment and increasing risk of overdose. After more than 6.6 million visits in the ten years to January 2026, there have been two deaths at supervised consumption sites and overdose prevention sites in British Columbia we know what works, but the government lacks the willpower to make the changes necessary.
The BC Greens will:
● Provide regulated, pharmaceutical alternatives to the illicit drug supply to reduce
fatalities associated with substance use. Our main priority must be keeping people alive.
The supply must be based on advice from health professionals and advocacy groups.
● Enhance access to supervised consumption sites and overdose prevention sites. Ensure
that they have the capacity for safe inhalation spaces to reduce harm and public drug
use, and support public safety. Ensure these spaces are connection points for detox,
recovery, housing, and other supports.
● Increase access to transitional and public housing projects, with wrap-around healthcare
and harm reduction principles.
● Match investments in bed-based care with a spectrum of community-based outpatient
substance use treatment services.
● Treat drug use as a health and social issue, not a criminal one, by decriminalising
possession of drugs for personal use. Alongside decriminalisation, implement the
measures on housing, mental health, and voluntary care that the BC NDP failed to, to
ensure people who use drugs have the full range of support needed.
● Ensure children and youth are educated about drug risks and supported by trusted
adults to make informed decisions.
● Build out mobile and 24-hour overdose prevention sites.
● Allocate annual funding for existing drug-checking services to ensure their sustainability.
● Create an evidence-based standard of care for all substance use treatment services,
informed by experts and community leaders.
● Ensure that individuals working on the frontlines and those with lived experiences of
substance use are supported and valued in decision-making processes.