Marking six years since a public health emergency was declared due to the number of opioid overdoses within the province of British Columbia, it has been reported that 9,410 people have died from these overdoses.
According to CTV News BC, a wave of demonstrations and rallies are planned to take place in response on Thursday, in hopes of spurring the government to more and better action in order to stem the tide of death from fentanyl and other similar substances.
The province's premier, minister of mental health and addictions, and provincial health officer released a joint statement on Thursday marking the anniversary.
"Today our hearts are filled with sorrow," reads the statement from John Horgan, Sheila Malcolmson and Dr. Bonnie Henry.
"This is a sombre reminder that the work underway is crucial to fighting a rising ride of need, saving lives and ending this crisis that disproportionately affects men."
"As the crisis continues to evolve, so too must our response," they said noting that over the last six years, drug supplies on the streets have grown more deadly.
In data released earlier this week, regarding February deaths, it was revealed that there has been 17 months in a row in which more than 150 people have died of a suspected drug overdose. 174 lives were lost in February, with sox of those being people under the age of 19.
The crisis has worsened even further since the start of the pandemic, with monthly death tolls continuing to climb higher and higher.
Groups planning the protests, such as "Moms Stop the Harm," have stated that they believe that the government needs to step up its efforts. They recommend that BC authorities provide a safe supply of these substances, so that addicts can avoid the risky practice of buying possibly-toxic or wrongly-dosed drugs off of the street.
There has also been pressure put on the Trudeau administration by many groups to decriminalize the use of these drugs, and instead focus on drug addiction as a public health issue.
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