overdose crisis

Federal Addictions Minister Ya'ara Saks says she had "deep concerns" about the lack of limits Toronto put on its now-rejected pitch to decriminalize the possession of illegal drugs — and the city health agency's refusal to make any changes.

Advocates for drug users are raising concerns about British Columbia's request for Health Canada to empower police to step in when they see illicit drug use in public spaces, saying it may be a step backward in the fight against the deadly opioid crisis.

Sunday marked eight years to the day since the province declared a public health emergency related to the deadly toxic drug crisis, and Graham said it's a sombre anniversary as she and others in public health reflect on the thousands of deaths. 

Canada's mental health and addictions minister believes fear and stigma are driving criticism of the government's decision to support prescribing pharmaceuticals to drug users to combat the country's overdose crisis.

British Columbia officials have sought to rebut claims that drugs prescribed through the province's safe supply program aimed at curbing overdoses are being re-sold to young people, helping fuel the deadly drug toxicity crisis.

When the doors close at night at the administration office at Yukon’s Carcross Tagish First Nation, a van hits the road and drives through the communities to offer naloxone to reverse overdoses, drug testing kits, food and even a friendly face to help those struggling because of the opioid crisis.

A First Nation on the northwest coast of Vancouver Island has declared a state of emergency over what its leadership describes as the "unrelating impact of drugs and alcohol" on its members, particularly children and youth.

Indigenous people, especially women, are dying from toxic drugs at disproportionately high rates in British Columbia as the overdose crisis continues "unabated," nearly seven years after the province first declared a public health emergency, said the top doctor for the First Nations Health Authority.

Maria Rantanen did everything she could to stop her son from fatally overdosing, but it wasn't enough.

British Columbia has lost more than 10,000 lives to illicit drugs since the province declared a public health emergency in April 2016, chief coroner Lisa Lapointe says.

The grieving moms who headed to Ottawa Wednesday to urge federal MPs to support a bill designed to tackle the deadly toxic drug crisis found their pleas fell on deaf ears.

B.C. Finance Minister Selina Robinson says making sure communities have the resources they need to deal with the effects of climate change will be a focal point of her budget on Tuesday, February 22, 2022.

It's "unbelievable" Prime Minister Justin Trudeau failed to concretely acknowledge the overdose crisis, decriminalization or safe supply in the new addictions minister's mandate letter, say advocates.

British Columbia needs a significant shift in how it treats people who use drugs, the province's chief coroner said on Tuesday, August 31, 2021, after releasing statistics showing 1,011 people died from suspected illicit overdoses from January to June.

Fentanyl patches and injectable opioids will be prescribed as alternatives to deadly street drugs and be covered by PharmaCare as part of B.C.'s new safer supply plan.