Whereas the British Columbia provincial government declared a public health emergency on April 14, 2016, in response to rapidly escalating fatalities caused by the unregulated and toxic drug supply; And whereas despite some action by the provincial government to mitigate harm linked to the unregulated drug supply, interventions to-date have not been proportionate to the scale and scope of the crisis, with over 11,390 preventable deaths of British Columbians due to accidental overdose linked back to the toxic drug supply between April 2016 and December 31, 2022; And whereas offering a safe, predictable, and regulated supply of drugs safe supply is widely recognized by health officials, policy makers, academic researchers, and advocates as a key intervention for addressing the drug poisoning crisis, and structural, policy and legal impediments to a safe supply are yet to be resolved: Therefore be it resolved that the UBCM advocate to the provincial and federal governments for increased access to accessible, culturally safe, and reliable safe supply in collaboration with its affiliated members, health and drug policy experts, and other relevant stakeholders; And be it further resolved that UBCM ask the provincial and federal governments to work collaboratively with its affiliated members, health and drug policy experts, and other relevant stakeholders to create an educational resource for engaging civic actors on the benefits of safe supply services as part of a continuum of critical health interventions including harm reduction, prevention, treatment and recovery, enforcement, and housing with the objective of reducing unregulated drug poisoning deaths.
