Expanding a safe supply of illicit drugs across the province is a top goal for Nanaimo MLA and minister of mental health and addictions Sheila Malcolmson. (file photo/The Canadian Press)

By Spencer Sterritt

recovery

Expanding safe supply top of mind for B.C.’s new mental health and addictions minister

Dec 2, 2020 | 5:34 AM

NANAIMO — The new minister of mental health and addictions has a lengthy list of goals to accomplish in the next four years.

The minister and Nanaimo MLA Sheila Malcolmson told NanaimoNewsNOW her mandate letter includes pushing for more widespread safe supply of illicit drugs, expand treatment beds and increase supports for youth.

She said her work as minister is more important than ever as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to take a toll on the most vulnerable.

“Everything about the pandemic has revealed how much more deeply we need to invest in people in the health care system,” she said.

Pushing for more prescription access to a safe supply of illicit drugs is at the top of the list of goals to tackle.

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The number of fatal overdoses in Nanaimo was trending downward throughout 2019 and early 2020 from the peak of the overdose epidemic in 2017 and 2018.

It has since skyrocketed and 2020 is on track to be the third most lethal year for substance users in Nanaimo. By the end of October, 34 people had fatally overdosed in Nanaimo.

“Because the pandemic made fentanyl toxicity higher, the imperative is stronger and stronger. The Premier has given me strong direction…to push the federal government to support our bid for decriminalization as a way to reduce stigma and have illicit drug use recognized as the health care problem it is.”

Safe supply guidelines were expanded in March but with several restrictions, such as the people receiving the substances had to be at risk of an overdose and COVID-19.

Malcolmson said urging the federal government to endorse BC NDP decriminalization efforts will help the safe supply initiative expand.

“If we can’t get leadership from the federal government on this, then we’ll design a made-in-B.C. solution to move ahead and remove the stigma associated with illicit drug use because that could save lives.”

She’s now leading the ministry into its second term. It was created in 2017 with now-retired MLA Judy Darcy at the helm.

Final decisions about available funding for programs like the CAT and ACT teams are being made in Malcolmson’s early days in the role.

She said she’ll work to increase the ministry’s budget.

“The Premier has given me a very specific and long to-do list and that does take dollars, so that’s absolutely something I’ll be working on with other ministries at budget time.”

Malcolmson was previously the parliamentary secretary for the environment, a position created for her after her byelection win in early 2019 to preserve the minority NDP government.

spencer@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @SpencerSterritt