Overdoses prompt First Nation in B.C. to declare state of emergency

A spike in overdose deaths in the six First Nations that make up the Tsilhqot'in National Government in British Columbia has prompted the chiefs to declare a local state of emergency.

The Cariboo-area nation says in a statement that toxic drugs combined with the historical and present-day harms of colonialism are contributing to higher rates of overdose deaths among Indigenous people.

Tribal Chair and Chief Joe Alphonse says in the statement that drugs are a major problem in the community, and while they feel like their hands are tied, they need to act to save lives.

The statement says the RCMP know who the dealers are, and that is something that needs to be addressed.

The Tsilhqot'in says the emergency declaration provides the nation with access to additional government support; however, treatment facilities don't have enough capacity and it's calling on all government ministries to work together to stop the deaths.

Chief Otis Guichon, the vice-president of the national government, says their people are grieving over the recent losses and they need time and tradition while they search for Tsilhqot'in-led solutions.

"We call on the local health authorities to work with our communities and expand facilities to support our members who want treatment. Our thoughts and prayers are with those families grieving right now,'' Guichon said in the statement.

Data from the B.C. Coroners Service shows 13 people died of toxic drugs in the Cariboo-Chilcotin area, which includes the nations, in 2023 — a rate of about 49.1 per 100,000 and slightly above B.C.'s provincial rate of 46.4.

First Nations people died at six times the rate of non-First Nations people from January to June 2023 while the number of First Nations people who died from toxic drugs increased by 24.7 per cent compared to the same period in 2022, the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) reported earlier this year. 

First Nations women are disproportionately impacted by the toxic drug crisis, dying at a rate 11.9 times higher than non-First Nations women in B.C. in the first six months of 2023, the health authority said.