Vancouver’s mayor calls for more support as opioid crisis claims more lives

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – As the opioid crisis continues to claim more lives across British Columbia — which has seen more overdose deaths than anywhere else in Canada — Vancouver’s mayor is hoping new money to tackle the epidemic will help save lives.

While Mayor Gregor Robertson says he’s pleased Ottawa and Victoria have committed nearly $72-million to boost treatment for substance abuse, he also believes the money can only go so far.

“The federal government’s taking action. The next step is to better coordinate that action right across the country.”

He admits he’s worried about the numbers going up across the country.

“We still have a long ways to go. We’re losing a person a day still in Vancouver this year, so we’re not seeing any relief which is brutal. We are seeing a lot more communication between the federal, provincial and city governments, but numbers are going up across Canada and I continue to call on behalf of mayors across Canada for the federal government to be the leader on this.”

Robertson, who is not seeking re-election, is counting on his successor to keep pressuring other levels of government to help end the deadly crisis.

“It’s been a heroic effort to save thousands of lives here in B.C., but we’ve lost thousands of people,” he says. “I certainly hope, given we’re losing someone every day in Vancouver to the overdose crisis, the next mayor and council continue to go all out calling for provincial and federal leadership.”

Last year, more than 3,800 people died across the country compared to fewer than 3,000 in 2016.

In July, B.C. recorded 134 overdose deaths — marking a 25 per cent increase from June.