Balanced approach to crisis

Local government representatives from across B.C. have supported a pair of resolutions from Kamloops and Merritt calling for a more balanced approach to the toxic drug crisis and requesting statistics about the province’s drug decriminalization pilot program.

The resolutions were presented during the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention in Vancouver on Thursday.

The Kamloops-sponsored resolution said local governments need the province to “move from reaction to action” on the toxic drug crisis with a plan that balances prevention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery, and enforcement — often known as the four pillars approach.

The resolution was endorsed by the Southern Interior Local Government Association earlier this year, and was supported by UBCM representatives without debate.

The Merritt-sponsored motion recommended calling on the province to ask the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions to create a dashboard with data about the decriminalization pilot program.

The resolution stated there hasn’t yet been statistics or a reporting dashboard provided to support the pilot’s continuation or demonstrate the program has been successful in decreasing harm.

Merritt Mayor Mike Goetz said the motion was put forward to complement Kamloops’ recommendation about the four-pillar approach to the toxic drug crisis.

Goetz said more information is needed to find the best way forward.

“Most pilot programs that I have been involved in my lifetime have very substantial reporting to make sure the pilot program is working,” he said.

Another municipal representative spoke out against the resolution, saying she felt such a dashboard could be used to further stigmatize those using substances.

“These folks aren’t statistics,” she said.

She noted there is a dashboard on the BC Centre for Disease Control website that reports on unregulated drug deaths and some other related statistics.

Local government representatives at UBCM voted in favour of the recommendation, which also had support from SILGA earlier this year.

UBCM said its main forum for its policy-making is the annual resolutions cycle.

“It provides an opportunity for local governments of all sizes and from all areas of the province to express concerns, share their experiences and take a united position,” UBCM said on its website.

UBCM said resolutions often lead to substantive, provincewide changes, although they can sometimes take years to be realized.