B.C. premier says 'zero per cent chance' for no-prescription opioid suggestion
![David Eby SFU housing announcement B.C. Premier David Eby speaks to reporters at a housing announcement at Simon Fraser University on Friday, July 12, 2024. (CTV News)](/content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2024/7/12/david-eby-sfu-housing-announcement-1-6961953-1720812293016.jpg)
British Columbia Premier David Eby says there's a "zero per cent chance" the province will implement recommendations by the provincial health officer that alternatives to opioids and other street drugs be made available without a prescription.
Eby says he has "huge respect" for Dr. Bonnie Henry, who he said saved countless lives during the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that it's OK they occasionally have a difference of opinion.
He told an unrelated Friday news conference his position is "non-negotiable," and B.C. will not be moving to a model where medical professionals are not "directly involved" if people use "harmful and toxic drugs."
Henry said on Thursday that drug prohibition strategies have not only failed to control access to controlled substances but have also created the toxic unregulated drug supply that has killed more than 14,000 people since a health emergency was declared in B.C. eight years ago.
Her report says 225,000 or more people in B.C. are accessing unregulated drugs and fentanyl continues to be the main killer, with 83 per cent of illicit drug deaths linked to the opioid.
Henry says the distribution of safer-supply drugs through prescriptions faces "barriers and challenges" presented by the system's limited capacity, and B.C. cannot prescribe its way out of the crisis.
The report echoes the findings of former chief coroner Lisa Lapointe, who said in January before leaving her post that prescribed safer-supply drugs would not solve the crisis.
Eby said Friday that public health has an important role to play and needs to remain independent.
But he said this isn't their first recommendation that governments have disregarded. He mentioned public health recommendations that speed limits in cities be 30 kilometres an hour and that alcohol prices be increased to reduce health-related harms.
"You'll see from that list that there is a gap on occasion between what the public health official feels would be the best course of action and what is political reality," he said. "We're not going to reduce the speed limits across B.C. to 30 kilometres an hour. That's just not in the cards."
He said it's a government's role to strike a balance between "livability in communities and protecting people."
"I respect and appreciate Dr. Henry's advice, always, (but that) doesn't mean we always take it."
The Conservatives said in a written response to Henry's report Thursday that the party wanted her "immediate dismissal," calling her recommendations "deeply troubling," "shocking" and "irresponsible."
On Friday, Eby drew a contrast between Conservative leader John Rustad's calls for Henry to be fired over the report and his support for public health workers who refused to be vaccinated.
"It's, I think, completely bizarre that he would want to get rid of someone who did such amazing work for us during the pandemic and led us through that, and instead reward the people who refused to get vaccinated," Eby said. "It's a very different and distinct position from ours."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 12, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.7013080.1724515039!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Labour board orders rail workers back on the job as Teamsters vow to appeal
Freight trains must start rolling again first thing Monday morning, the federal labour board ruled Saturday as it ordered thousands of rail employees back to work to end a bitter contract dispute that shut down the country's two major railways.
Commercial truck plunges off bridge in B.C. Interior, driver unaccounted for, RCMP say
The driver of a semi truck and trailer that plunged off of a bridge in the B.C. Interior Saturday morning has not been located, according to police.
'Bank investigator' fraud spreading in eastern Ontario: What it is and how to avoid it
Ontario Provincial Police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre are warning people about fraudsters impersonating major Canadian banks.
Brother-in-law of man allegedly swarmed by teens says family reeling from loss
The brother-in-law of a homeless Toronto man who died after police allege he was attacked by a group of teen girls says his entire family is reeling from the loss.
Chappell Roan's comments about invasive fans show that we never really know our favourite celebrities
Sudden fame has weighed heavy on Chappell Roan, but her discomfort became untenable earlier this week. She shared two videos on TikTok in which she criticized invasive fans who have followed her around, 'stalked' her family and demanded photos or hugs in public despite Roan's resistance.
'We have won': Kenyan man granted temporary residency day before deportation order
One day before he was set to be deported to Kenya, Charles Mwangi was granted temporary residency.
Major Canadian rental company warns tenants that hackers may have their banking info
One of western Canada’s largest rental property companies is warning tenants about a cyber security breach it says was discovered earlier this year.
German police arrest suspect in stabbing rampage, official says
A man suspected of a stabbing rampage in the western German town of Solingen has been taken into police custody, a state official told German television on Saturday, some 24 hours after the attack that killed three people.
OPINION The dark side of frugality: When saving becomes an obsession
Is being frugal pushing you over the edge? Personal finance contributor Christopher Liew explains some of the downsides of obsessive frugality and offers some tips on how to balance frugal living with living your daily life.