“Drug users are being scapegoated for all the failures of our broken system. We’re low hanging fruit" - letter from five members of DULF’s compassion club. "It’s easy, you can always blame the drug user. Vilify, criminalize, stigmatize."

"People in the media often portray the Downtown Eastside as a broken place that needs help from people outside to 'fix' it" - Megaphone Magazine. "But framing the area as 'the problem' ignores the fact that these are issues that affect many of us in one way or another."

It is the source of so many of our evils: the astonishing concentration of wealth in the hands of a very few, and the immense political power that gives them. We cannot solve our problems until we tackle it. This week's column. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

This is like an exponential curve inflection point. Houselessness has already doubled in Toronto in the last three years. Where will this put thousands more people on the edge? Ref: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

When someone is taken into custody life is put on pause. Housing,income,health,care,relationships are disrupted with little planning for release. Every sentence ends, reintegration is treated as an afterthought not something that starts on day one. markcherrington.substack.com/p/why-people...

I used to assume that when people who use drugs went online, it was mostly about dysfunction. I was wrong. There is rawness,support, safety, connection. I wrote this piece to challenge our assumptions and share how AI helped push our understanding further. #academicsky #drugsky tinyurl.com/4r7em5wx

Kai’s foster parents believe attacks he’s faced by non-Indigenous peers aren’t merely the result of bullying. His experiences also reflect a history of colonial systems failing to uphold the safety and rights of Indigenous Youth. @amyromer.bsky.social reports. An @indiginews.bsky.social reprint.

Six years ago, "rule of law" was the refrain used to justify and encourage police action against anyone blocking access to the Coastal GasLink pipeline route on Wet'suwet'en territory. But when courts side with First Nations, politicians are more equivocal. @thetyee.ca thetyee.ca/Analysis/202...

You don't often get chances to hear an insider account of how authorities react to emergencies - so check out Lisa Lapointe's online discussion of the toxic drug crisis. She's “forever altered” by the emergency. It's at 11 am on Wednesday, Jan. 14. Info: tinyurl.com/bdf89sdy

Failing to address homelessness is not only inhumane, it's an irresponsible waste of public money. That's because it's cheaper to house the homeless than trying to police them away. Stays in prison or hospital cost more than supportive housing.

Involuntary care is not going to sweep away visible homelessness, writes political insider Shane Mills. Supportive housing is both more humane and less expensive. Read on:

🧵We deserve access to #StigmaFree health care & resources to help us make informed decisions about our bodies. The more we know, the better we can care for ourselves & support people in our care. Healthier, safer communities are possible when we have the tools & will needed to make this a reality.

🧵The overwhelming amount of data & folks' lived experiences continues to show #HarmReduction saves lives & improves individual & community health. As outlined in this @inforum.com op-ed, we must let this reality lead the way in how we approach & ultimately end... bit.ly/HarmReductionReducesHarmOpEd

Inside the Battle for the Future of Addiction Medicine "Instead of seeing patients in binaries — addicted or sober, with a positive or negative drug test — she measures progress on a spectrum." kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

So *what is* a public health approach to substance use? Our latest 🧪 paper provides a systematic review of academic and grey literature and outlines a conceptual framework to guide practitioners. link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-025-25402-4

🧵Start the new year off with free learning opportunities, including our upcoming Foundational Fridays session, "Syringe Access 101!" Through this webinar, we'll explore the critical role of sterile syringe access in saving lives, promoting #PublicHealth, & reducing... bit.ly/SyringeAccess1012026

“I’m hoping that the province will realize that there is no way to not pay for the housing crisis” - Pacifica Housing CEO Carolina Ibarra. “You either invest and pay for solutions, or you’re gonna pay even more in homelessness management. “We just need to commit and invest.”

“Seniors homelessness is bad now, and it's about to get much worse" - Laura Tamblyn Watts, CEO of seniors advocacy group CanAge. “We've seen a sharp increase in the everyday costs of goods and services. “Older people simply can't make ends meet on fixed incomes.” Read on:

"Drug users are being scapegoated for all the failures of our broken system" - DULF compassion club members. "We’re low hanging fruit. It’s easy, you can always blame the drug user. Vilify, criminalize, stigmatize: Makes it so you want to crawl away and hide. These are lies."

drugpolicy.ca/our-work/add... “Addiction treatment: what it is, where it currently fails, and how it could meet the needs of people and communities.”

“Canada appears to be the country with the highest average rate of involuntary psychiatric detentions in the western world.” Note this is *before* new forced abstinence measures hit full speed in AB and BC. www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...

While people capitalize on fears of Aboriginal Title to reinforce anti-Indigenous racism, let's look at something that is *actually* devaluing land in BC: pipelines. ckpgtoday.ca/2025/12/06/r...

we’ve crossed the foggy horizon and have no choice but to navigate the infinite night of the spooky zone

being a part of this has given me a lot of hope. But i object to the people involved being labeled “activists”. They’re just neighbors. “Activist” is only ever applied to leftists as a way to make them seem less normal. These people are normie AF. www.startribune.com/inside-the-o...

"An organization that began 30 years ago as a peer group for sex workers has grown into an operation with over 50 employees to support more than 2,000 sex workers a year in #Victoria" #VancouverIsland #BC #BritishColumbia www.timescolonist.com/christmas-fu...

Good analysis of the connection between #addiction and other #mentalhealth disorders. thebulletproofpoet1.godaddysites.com/blog/f/the-c...

The team from Softchoice Vancouver collected and packaged toiletries and little luxuries to create 240 travel hygiene kits for our shelter guests. They joined forces with Kits For A Cause to source and bag the items at a teambuilding kit-packing event. Thank you for your generosity and support.

Don't tell me there isn't enough money in the world to feed and house everyone. The money is there, it's the will that isn't.

"Unhoused people in #Parksville #QualicumBeach are looking at another cold, wet winter season without an overnight shelter. Many of the area’s #unhoused are working people who simply cannot afford market rent" #VancouverIsland #BC #homelessness #housing vancouverislandfreedaily.com/2025/12/29/p...

Special thanks to the Ribbon Community for providing Christmas gift bags of food necessities and luxuries to some PHS residents. Formerly known as AIDS Vancouver, Ribbon is Canada's original AIDS service organization, helping people overcome the impacts of HIV and HIV stigma.

It means a lot when people reach out this time of year to offer thoughtful and practical gifts to the community we serve. Two students at Stratford Hall School, Ella and Stephanie, arranged care packages for people staying at our shelters over Christmas. (Stephanie not photographed.)

“For many, drugs are simply an easier relief from pain" - former BC chief coroner Lisa Lapointe. “We’re seeing more people who use drugs because of the housing crisis. The province has done good things, but not enough of anything.”

Staff at three veterinary clinics collected treats and toys for PHS residents and shelter guests pets. Donations were arranged through the Hearts to Paws initiative of Merck Animal Health Canada, which supports shelters and outreach programs across Canada. I borrowed HQ regular Ringo for the pic.

Stylists from a White Rock's Sin 7 Salon called round to give free haircuts to seniors living with PHS. It was a beautiful event. The Sin 7 Salon team were friendly and treated everyone with respect - chatting and sharing holiday treats. It was another day at the salon, basically.

These cheerful gift packs containing necessities and luxuries will be given to PHS shelter guests on Christmas Day, courtesy of Everybody Deserves A Smile. Active in schools throughout the area, the group brings together students, educators, artists & business leaders to support people in crisis.

Delighted to hear that The Invisible Doctrine, the film by @peterhutchison.bsky.social and @lucas-sabean.bsky.social, is being offered free to view on YouTube for the holiday season. It's all yours! youtu.be/gR4eSEetKP0

Big thanks to The Right Shoe for their spectacular shoe drive, collecting 750 pairs of new and gently used shoes for the community we serve. The team reached out to partners On Running Shoes, and two local gyms: the Firm Athletic and Rep 1, who joined forces to gather the donated shoes.

"We need neighbourhoods across the city that welcome everyone, not policies that keep driving people away and deeper into poverty and homelessness" - Gilles Cyrenne, Carnegie Housing Project.

Kindness always matters. We thank our good friends at Canada Running Series for thinking about the community we serve. They are the people who organize the Under Armour Eastside 10K which hosts PHS runners every year, so they got to know us - and asked if they could do something to help out.

Santas and elves rob Montreal grocery store to ‘give food to the needy’

If people are homeless, you house them. If they're hungry, you feed them. If they're struggling with addiction, you help them. It doesn't matter who you are. Everyone deserves access to food, water and healthcare services .... EVERYONE.

KW Studios is hosting a Nightmare Before Christmas comedy night next Friday (December 19) at 111 West Hastings Street. Please bring winter jackets/warm clothing/toiletries to be donated to PHS Community Services Society’s Osborn shelter.

“Communities should not be debating whether they have emergency weather shelters or not. It is essential safety infrastructure.” Carolina Ibarra speaking for 22 BC housing providers makes it clear that axing housing isn't going to bring order to streets - far from it tinyurl.com/4j6rzb8f

“Anywhere where there’s forest or bushes, or any sort of infrastructure like bridges, we’ve found encampments” - Brooke Wright, during a ride-along providing homelessness outreach in the Greater Victoria suburbs. “We are actually seeing people die.

"This plan is fundamentally inadequate: it fails to provide affordable housing, worsens existing crises and threatens the wellbeing of the neighbourhood’s current residents." Academics: plans to gentrify the Downtown Eastside will worsen the homelessness crisis. themainlander.com/2025/12/08/h...

Chris Amyotte was trying to seek help after a bear spray attack when a VPD officer shot him 7 times with beanbag rounds. He died on the street moments later. His family is devastated to learn that the police officer who shot him will not faces charges or discipline. thetyee.ca/News/2025/12...

Requiring foreign visitors to hand over 5 years of social media isn’t “security,” it’s unchecked government control. All-seeing surveillance systems don’t make us safer. They are in direct opposition to our civil liberties. www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru...

Criminalising drug use doesn’t make communities safer. It pushes people into unsafe conditions and limits access to healthcare. CPHI #Nigeria documents the harms of punitive drug laws and shows how health-based approaches can save lives. Learn more: bit.ly/4pr2Oph

Drug alert issued Dec 2, 2025: by @vchhealthcare.bsky.social for Powell River/qathet Red chunks sold as down found to contain fentanyl, benzodiazepines, and medetomidine. Stay safe and stay connected, friends ❤️

"The World Health Organization had a historic opportunity to ease a global ban on the coca leaf," reports @matthabusby.bsky.social. "But the agency has chosen not to do so." The December 2 decision goes against the findings of the WHO's own expert review, which detailed harms of prohibition: