Dear Friends, Advocates and Supporters,

Please add your voice for change, and demand that the BC provincial government immediately provide a safe regulated supply of pharmaceuticals to those who are experiencing substance use disorder/addiction in our province. We must end the ongoing deaths that continue to rise year by year with no end in sight. These are our loved ones, friends, co-workers, neighbors and children. Please see a sample letter below that you can copy and paste to send off to those listed below. We thank you for your support and participation.

Dear Honorable Premier Horgan, Minister Adrian Dix and Minister Sheila Malcomson,

My name is [ ] and I am writing to you during the week of the declaration of the 5th Anniversary of the Public Health Emergency in B.C. In the five years since this declaration was made, we have lost over 7,000 British Columbians to an overdose/toxic drug poisoning. 2020 saw a 75% jump in annual drug related death rates. I am urging you to immediately work faster to end the epidemic of overdose/toxic drug poisoning deaths that has continued to grow since this provincial declaration was made. While the BC government has implemented a few responses to this crisis, these have not constituted an emergency response. The statistics are clear and provide the evidence that unless this government finds the political will to enact emergency measures to end these preventable deaths, a growing number of British Columbians will die.

[ ] *insert your personal story/experience if applicable

I am urging you to immediately provide a safe regulated supply of pharmaceutical alternatives for those who are struggling and who now turn to the toxic illicit supply of drugs. Due to COVID the illicit supply is more toxic, people are more isolated and there is reduced access to community based support. COVID has shone a spotlight on the crisis and has further stressed the urgent need for a safe supply of drugs which need to be broadly distributed to all areas of BC, in a low barrier and easily accessible manner for those who struggle. Partnering with safe supply, additional supports must be scaled up to assist people in areas of their mental health, trauma, housing and poverty. Families who are supporting loved ones who are struggling are desperate for help. Our current system for Mental Health and Addictions is not broken, the system is largely non existent. There is little to no coordination of existing services. Families and individuals are left on their own to navigate services that involve lengthy waitlists, disorganization, and often work against the person who is seeking help rather than being supportive. Meanwhile, people continue to die.

We cannot afford to wait to see pilot projects to turn into actual fulsome programs, or more reports and evaluations to scale up life saving supports. The evidence is clear in supporting a regulated safe supply to stabilize and save lives. We are calling on our Premier and Ministers to find the political will and funding to show British Columbians that this provincial health emergency is treated as the emergency that it is.

I look forward to hearing back from you quickly on an actual and solid plan that outlines how you will address the emergency, which is the epidemic of drug related deaths that continue in this province.

Sincerely,

[ your name ]

[ your contact information]

Email Contact information:

BC Premier Horgan - premier@gov.bc.ca

BC Minister of Health, Adrian Dix - HLTH.Minister@gov.bc.ca

BC Minister of Mental Health & Addictions, Sheila Malcolmson - MH.Minister@gov.bc.ca