while the BCNDP was caving to the diversion moral panic and severely limiting its safe supply program, the public safety ministry was acknowledging in budget preparation documents that hydromorphone only accounted for 0.3% of VPD drug seizures by weight

“It definitely speaks to policy being driven by electioneering, vote-mongering, that kind of thing, as opposed to following the evidence,” he said. “It also speaks to this kind of general unwillingness to defend their own policies when they’re perhaps viewed as controversial by some people.”

After seven months, seven #FOI requests and two Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner complaints, The Tyee is no closer to a strong understanding of how many people are surviving overdoses as patients in B.C. hospitals. @michellegamage.bsky.social reports. #bcpoli #ToxicDrugCrisis

We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to the whole team at @crackdownpod.bsky.social for including us on this journey and in particular @alexdeboer.bsky.social. This episode was so well produced. Crackdown is the beating heart of our community and they need your help.

"Accessing safer supply supported their adherence to HIV medications," said Andrew Ivsins, a researcher with the BC Centre on Substance Use. "It’s a really important relationship."

B.C. cancelled its drug decriminalization pilot, saying it hadn’t “delivered the results” they wanted. Its results: fewer drug users arrested and traumatized by cops. @desmondcole.bsky.social explains that when governments cave to moral panic, we lose good policies. breachmedia.ca/decriminaliz...

Prescribed #SafeSupply is hanging by a thread in BC but AVI Health & Community Services is still doing their best, providing access to harm reduction workers & walking the talk on "meaningful inclusion." This work will be featured at @cpha-acsp.bsky.social's #ph26sp www.catie.ca/programming-...

How do you create a regulatory pathway so Canada can implement a non-medical model of safer supply to save lives in the middle of a public health crisis? Not even the guy who was No. 2 at Health Canada could think of a way. The fed gov makes drug laws, and can’t think of a way to get around them.

“Did you do anything to refresh your memory in order to testify meaningfully today?” asked the judge. At a hearing re DULF's constitutional challenge, a senior Health Canada official struggled to reconcile government claims with past statements on safe supply, reports @godfrey.bsky.social:

Ending the year on a good note at @breachmedia.ca: 15 political movement victories in 2025 you may not have heard about but should definitely celebrate, by @scottneigh.bsky.social breachmedia.ca/15-movement-...

Last week, BC NDP Premier Eby made misleading claims about Sublocade. A decade into BC's toxic drug emergency, there is a heightened risk when government leaders promote this type of disinformation. It should not be acceptable. Read in more detail: themainlander.com/2025/12/10/v...

In which I pay Calgary police $250 for the privilege of seeing them beat me into concussion, for them to decide months later not to hand it over. Their reason? The evidence could influence a public body’s opinion of the beating. drugdatadecoded.ca/calgary-poli...

🧵The #HarmReduction movement & NHRC exist because people living with & dying of #AIDS — & others who loved & cared for them — stepped up to take care of each other when the government left them behind. Today, we see heightened attacks on the very programs & services we fought so hard to create to...

Today, the HIV Legal Network was joined by people living with HIV and other health experts on Parliament Hill to call for increased leadership and commitment from all levels of government to end the HIV epidemic in this country. www.hivlegalnetwork.ca/site/hiv-leg...

On #WorldAIDSDay, the message is simple: Fund advocacy. End criminalisation. Defend community power. @UNAIDS’ World AIDS Day report makes the situation clear: the global HIV response is entering its most dangerous period in two decades. A sudden collapse in donor funding has devastated services.

You know who is NOT overdosing on Vancouver Island? People with access to prescribed alternatives. @vanislandhealth.bsky.social @josieosborne.bsky.social www.timescolonist.com/local-news/h...

We Refuse: Health Workers Against Involuntary Care is now public. @hrna.bsky.social and DSDP are circulating a joint statement opposing BC’s plan to expand involuntary drug treatment. This approach is ineffective, increases overdose risk, violates autonomy, and harms marginalized communities.

You wouldn’t believe the lengths @kehyslop.bsky.social had to go to to get basic info on the training for school liaison officers. This contoversial VPD program was briefly shuttered in 2021 before being reinstated in 2023. #vanpoli thetyee.ca/News/2025/11...

The contrast between @davidebybc.bsky.social's cowardly comments and Jeremy's principled actions are stunning. DULF saved lives. #NoMoreDrugWar #CdnPoli

Today is National Housing Day, for whatever that's worth.

Vancouver Island drawing more international attention for deadly public policy. #CdnPoli @vanislandhealth.bsky.social

Eye on the ball folks — DULF Charter challenge begins in four days. Legal fund still needs your help: www.zeffy.com/en-CA/donati...

"Drugs are not forbidden because they are dangerous, they are dangerous because they are forbidden,” said Peter Krykant, who "hit the global harm reduction scene with a bang," running an unauthorized overdose prevention site from a van in Glasgow. People who knew and worked with him pay tribute:

Alberta just introduced Bill 9, which exists for one and only one purpose: deleting the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms as it pertains to trans kids, denying them the right to life and stripping their healthcare away. This is cruel, anti-democratic and anti-constitutional.

Health Canada convened an independent expert advisory group in 2020 to provide guidance on safer supply. Health Canada heavily redacted its final report, but unredacted version obtained by CBC shows the expert group said drug crisis is driven by prohibition and recommended expansion of safer supply

DULF co-founders Eris Nyx and Jeremy Kalicum were found guilty of possession with the intent to traffic this morning for meth, heroin and cocaine. My full story on @thetyee.ca thetyee.ca/News/2025/11...

There is no political cost for our deaths. The mountain of corpses has led to no government falling, no minister resigning, no cabinet shuffle, no high-ass muckedy-muck getting sacked, not even a junior official suspended. Nothing.

📣 DULF found guilty for life-saving compassion club 📣 But WAIT! Not so fast… drugdatadecoded.ca/court-finds-...

BREAKING: DULF organizers found guilty of trafficking. More to come w/ @tsk.bsky.social in the courtroom today. Legal fund linked below ⬇️ please give what you can. This is just getting started.

THEN GIVE THEM HEROIN

Larkin added..."Political messaging influences public opinion and then public opinion influences policy. And that is why we’re seeing steps away from evidence-based policy.” #cdnpoli

"Herriot...stressed the importance of regulation and expanding safer supply as interventions to make substances on the market safer..." @vanislandhealth.bsky.social @josieosborne.bsky.social @victoria.ca

Waiting for my vaccines at a suburban pharmacy and someone just approached the pharmacists to get their daily juice ... with full-sized chocolate bars and friendly greetings for all the staff. The staff clearly love this person and now I do too. #HarmReductionSavesLives

$22k for the VicPD to have a party. Is this why they’re asking for another $11M next year? More party money? We demand better! #DefundVicPD #yyj

Here's a fantastic way to support WSÁNEĆ youth - coastalwave.ca basketball combines sport & culture to inspire confidence & belonging in Indigenous girls & youth. Learn more here cheknews.ca/young-athlet... and donate to support the Qelaxen team 🦋 www.gofundme.com/f/coastal-wa... #YYJ #Saanich

If Eris Nyx and Jeremy Kalicum, founders of the Drug User Liberation Front, are found guilty, they plan to appeal the decision and hope that there is an outpouring of public support. “After all, who can be against saving lives?”

"Following the closure of other sites in the city, Parkdale Queen West has seen a more than 50 per cent increase in people using the site compared to the same time last year." Omar Mosleh reports that the only safe consumption site in west end of Toronto will close www.thestar.com/news/gta/wes...

Life-saving and life-affirming services and initiatives I care about are in funding crises. Learn more about the ever-increasing police budget in @victoria.ca. Compare police priorities with your vision for the world. Policing poverty & the consequences of punitive social policy is a choice.

BREAKING WIN for PWUD: Supreme Court of Canada rules against the Saskatchewan government and police attempt to claw back the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act in R v Wilson. Pivot argued, and the court agreed, the law protects against simple possession convictions, charges, AND arrests at ODs.

At 1 hour 5 minute mark, "we're looking at implementing Health IM [I think], which is coming to VicPD shortly." Platform to allow officers to securely share info with Island Health in real time during mental health apprehensions to make assessments. www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpX9...

The community has put in an incredible fundraising effort for DULF, now totalling nearly $300k for the legal defence. They need $350k, the annual salary of one police chief. Consider supporting right now — court is in session. dulf.ca/dulf-aid-2/

politicians started complaining and DULF was busted one week before the Coroner's Death Panel recommended that the government expand the response to ensure nonprescription access to regulated drugs as DULF had done and the government rejected it in the middle of the press conference

DULF case in court today. Judge: “everyone knew what was happening. It seems like these 2 [Nyx & Kalicum] are being hung out to dry. As soon as politicians started complaining, all of a sudden VPD-which before was fine-suddenly was not fine.” drugdatadecoded.ca/everyone-kne...

Jason Miles’ addiction cost $260,000 in ER, shelter and jail stays. A Toronto hospital’s radical solution: just give him a home. Dunn House backers say the supportive housing project saved the health system millions. www.thestar.com/news/gta/jas... via @thestar.com

I appreciated this conversation.

In this Brief, Veronica Fuentes explores the question, how can harm reduction reflect our traditions of care, mitigate harms, and sustain the life of people we love who use drugs? Read here: yellowheadinstitute.org/2025/a-love-...

"The more that we can give people alternatives to toxic drugs, the more that we can give them some stability and some support," she said. "I think from a community's perspective, they would see a lot of changes." www.cbc.ca/news/canada/... #bcpoli

Good hat. #DrawTheLine

I was honoured to talk with @sethdklein.bsky.social & @anjaliappadurai.bsky.social about the interconnections between drug war & the climate apocalypse. It's all necropolitics.

"The findings echo a February 2024 statement from Canada’s Federal Housing Advocate, who described forced encampment evictions, including “street sweeps,” as a #humanrights violation and urged all levels of government to halt the practice." @victoria.ca @saanichbc.bsky.social