Editor:
The Cariboo Chilcotin Collaborative for Anti-Racism and Reconciliation Engagement (CC CARE) strongly supports the establishment of a safe consumption site in Williams Lake. This facility is a crucial step in addressing the ongoing public health crisis and saving lives in our community, while showing compassion for our most vulnerable neighbours.
Safe consumption sites significantly reduce overdose deaths, improve access to healthcare, and relieve pressure on emergency services. For example, Insite in Vancouver has successfully handled over 6,000 overdoses without a single fatality. Data from Vancouver Coastal Health shows a 35 per cent reduction in overdose deaths in neighbourhoods with safe consumption sites. Similar benefits can be realized in Williams Lake, helping us address unique challenges faced by smaller communities.
The opioid crisis disproportionately impacts Indigenous peoples in British Columbia. Mortality rates for Indigenous people who use drugs are five times higher than those for non-Indigenous users. Indigenous women are especially vulnerable, with nonfatal overdose rates eight times higher and fatal overdoses five times more likely than for non-Indigenous women. Establishing a safe consumption site is part of our commitment to reconciliation, addressing the inequities deeply rooted in colonization.
The time for action is now. Every day we delay is a day we lose more community members unnecessarily. By supporting the creation of a safe consumption site, Williams Lake can be a model of thoughtful, compassionate action for other small cities.
Sincerely,
Thomas A. Schoen, Denise Deschene, Margaret-Anne Enders, Kim Davis, Venta Rutkauskas and Hannah Diether
Williams Lake
