‘I have a brother who’s an addict’: Emotional mayor highlights personal toll of northern B.C. overdose crisis

Ackerman was speaking to two residents opposed to the establishment of an overdose prevention site in the city, which is emerging as a new epicentre of illicit drug deaths.

So far this year, the B.C. Coroners Service has recorded 12 overdose fatalities in the northeastern B.C. community of roughly 25,000 people, already breaking 2018’s record of 10.

WATCH | Lori Ackerman’s voice cracks with emotion as she discusses her brother’s addiction at a council meeting:

And it’s not just Fort St. John.

According to the coroners service, the Northern Health region is now leading the province in overdose deaths per capita, at a rate of 35.4 fatalities per 100,000 people. The next highest is the Fraser Health Authority where the death rate is 35.1, followed by Island Health at 33.2.

“It’s shameful,” said Fort St. John resident Shawn Wood, vice-president of the BC-Yukon Association of Drug War Survivors. “Especially for a resource-rich town where there’s lots of money.”

Wood said he patrols the streets of Fort St. John with a naloxone kit ready to reverse overdoses, and that since the start of the COVID-19 crisis, the toxicity of the drug supply has increased, further highlighting the need for an overdose prevention site in the region.

“People are scared,” he said.

“This is an absolute crisis,” said Prince George Mayor Lyn Hall, where 22 people have died so far this year. “It’s young people, it’s older folks, it’s people you see every day.”  

On Monday, Hall declared the city’s first ever overdose awareness week in front of a crowd of advocates and family members who’ve lost loved ones to the crisis, including Nicole Lindsay who said her 21-year-old son died after using drugs to manage the pain of a back injury.

“He died alone in his room,” she said. “That never should have happened. He should have had access to support.”

Lindsay is among those calling for more spaces for people to use drugs under the watchful eye of someone ready to reverse an overdose, should it occur.

The B.C. Coroners Service says while the majority of overdose deaths in B.C. occur in private residences, none have been recorded at overdose prevention or safe consumption sites.

Dr. Rakel Kling of Northern Health said the rural nature of the region is a challenge,  making it difficult to offer services to all who need it. 

“Not everyone lives right downtown or right near a [harm reduction] site,” she said. “It’s the added barrier of geography.”

In fact, Prince George is the only city in Northern Health with an overdose prevention site, though the authority says it is examining other communities where it could establish such services, including Fort St. John. 

The news prompted Monday’s emotional council meeting, as some residents have come forward with concerns a safe consumption site would negatively impact the community.

Ackerman said while she understands the worries, she also believes in the need to provide support to people living with addiction. In the end, council voted in favour of a bylaw giving it the power to direct consumption and prevention sites to specific areas of town, similar to the rules for cannabis retailers and liquor stores. 

Wood said it was important for people like Ackerman to speak out as his organization fights to make drug use safer provincewide.

“It brings more context,” he said. “This affects everybody.”