B.C. Conservative leader reveals plans to address toxic drug crisis

A crow flies behind Conservative Leader John Rustad as he listens to a question during a campaign stop in Vancouver, on Monday, October 7, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad has laid out his solutions for the toxic drug crisis in the province, which include cutting wait times for voluntary treatment, a virtual program to connect people with addiction specialists and building "regional recovery communities" that would allow for 12-month live-in treatment.

He told a news conference Tuesday that his party wants to end the NDP's decriminalization pilot project and that they would hold overdose prevention sites accountable by making sure they are "meeting the highest standards" and if not, his government would not hesitate to shut them down. 

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Rustad said if a Conservative government were elected on Oct. 19, he would ensure there are "no financial barriers to detox and treatment."

"This is something that's critical in B.C. We cannot be holding people back from receiving the treatment they need in British Columbia (due to) financial barriers," he said. "We want to close that gap between detox and care."

He didn't lay out a timeline or what the cost would be, saying his party would be unveiling its full platform "within the coming days."

But Rustad noted they would have to hire more medical and mental health professionals to support their plans.

"The additional staffing that's needed is going to be part of a recruitment program that's needed for British Columbia, as well as a training program," he said. "We're going to also look at how we can deliver these services, what level of skills and ability that need to be there for the various levels of services."

Other elements of the plan, he said, would be to supply housing with treatment, integrate treatment within the correctional health system and appoint an addictions specialist to oversee the government's response to the health emergency that has claimed more than 15,000 lives since 2016.

Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau criticized the Conservative's plan, saying it "plays on people's fears and frustrations, but won't fix anything."

"The BC Greens are the only party offering real solutions, with regulated pharmaceutical alternatives, housing security, and meaningful investment in mental health services," she said in the release, adding that the plans from her counterparts would "only cause more harm and instability" in communities.

Rustad made the announcement at the site of Riverview Hospital in the Vancouver suburb of Coquitlam, a provincially-owned psychiatric institution that had been in operation for more than 100 years before it closed in 2012.

The property is currently the subject of an Indigenous land claim. Rustad said his party wants to work with the First Nation but is "determined" to redevelop and repurpose the site as a "leading centre of excellence in Canada for mental health care and addictions recovery, including secure treatment."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2024