Griffin Russell, a harm reduction coordinator with Island Health, speaking at the International Overdose Awareness Day event. (Spencer Sterritt/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Spencer Sterritt

crisis

Nanaimo’s Overdose Awareness Day takes politicians to task over rising fatalities

Aug 31, 2021 | 3:29 PM

NANAIMO — The first International Overdose Awareness Day event in Nanaimo since the pandemic took aim at the systems and policies behind the toxic drug crisis.

“I’m still confused over what tangible action-oriented initiatives have actually become available, especially in a community like ours,” Rise Bridge Project executive director Jovan Johnson told the crowd at Maffeo Sutton Park on Tuesday, Aug. 31.

“Prevention programming should be within everyone’s comfort zone yet not a lot seems to be happening in that area.”

Several area politicians, including Nanaimo mayor Leonard Krog, councillors Erin Hemmens, Tyler Brown and Ben Geselbracht, as well as Nanaimo MP candidate Paul Manly, looked on as Johnson spoke about the policies of the drug crisis.

“The comfortable consensus seems to be that our drug policies and addiction concerns are just complicated issues which require millions of dollars and multiple years of performative speeches in order to gain the care and programming that’s actually needed. And I’m calling bullshit. Compassion isn’t complicated. Action couldn’t and shouldn’t take years to come to fruition.”

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Similar comments were made earlier on Tuesday by B.C.’s chief coroner Lisa Lapointe and Moms Stop the Harm co-founder Leslie McBain when announcing 2021 was the most lethal first six months of a year since the crisis was declared in 2016.

By the end of June 2021, slightly more than 1,000 people fatally overdosed in B.C.

In Nanaimo, 20 lives were lost in the first six months of the year.

One new fatality was recorded in June in Nanaimo, the second month of decreases from a high in April when an overdose advisory was issued.

Eight overdoses in other central Vancouver Island areas were recorded by the BC Coroners Service.

Island Health as a whole experienced 22 fatal overdoses in June.

Griffin Russell, a harm reduction coordinator with Island Health, told the Maffeo Sutton Park crowd there are an estimated 35 to 50 non-fatal overdoses for every illicit drug death.

“Thinking about the losses here in Nanaimo, we’ve experienced at least 10,000 non-fatal drug poisoning experiences since the crisis started. I think about that energy out in our communities and what that does, rippling out, impacting neighbourhoods, communities of all sorts, families, friends.”

Families and friends of overdose victims in Nanaimo were among those in attendance at the gathering.

2021 is projected the most devastating year for fatal overdoses in Nanaimo and the province since the toxic drug crisis was declared five years ago.

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spencer@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @SpencerSterritt