Time to step up

Published 1:13 pm Thursday, October 23, 2025

The Bulkley Valley lost another beautiful soul to the ongoing drug crisis this month.

I’m sure more lives have been lost recently, but you don’t always hear about it—unless it hits close to home. It can be taboo to talk about it. But it should be talked about.

This week, a dad is burying his daughter. There is a little boy left without a mother. There are countless friends and other family members weeping. There are families feeling exhausted and guilty that they couldn’t do more.

A young woman who was once full of life, had dreams, had her whole future ahead of her, is now gone. I heard a rumour that there’s a drug dealer walking the streets of Smithers who has not one, but two of his ex-girlfriends in the grave—all because of his “business.”

There is an encampment across from town hall filled with people suffering from addiction.

When is enough enough?

The Northern Health region continues to have the highest overdose death rate per 100,000 people in the province.

In the Northern Health region, there are projected to be 91 toxic drug deaths in 2025, compared to 211 in 2024. So while the numbers seem to be trending down, that is still almost one hundred people projected to die this year alone.

In April 2016, B.C.'s Public Health Officer declared the overdose crisis a public health emergency. It has been almost ten years, and thousands of people have died since then. The crisis has spread to essentially every community in the province.

The provincial government has undertaken a number of actions to support its response to the toxic drug supply, including the Take-Home Naloxone program, medication-assisted treatments, prescribed alternatives to toxic drugs, overdose prevention and supervised consumption services, and broader treatment and recovery supports.

It just doesn’t seem to be enough—or things are moving too slowly. Waitlists for rehab centres are long. There needs to be more support for those looking to help a loved one who is addicted, and more mental health resources. There also needs to be more detox centres in the North. I know there are people working behind the scenes and on the ground tirelessly to help. It’s time for the rest of us to step up and support them.

The next time you walk past the encampment and feel the urge to scoff, just remember: the people living there are members of our society—they are someone’s family member, and a life worth saving. I am not excusing the behaviour that often comes with people living hard lives, and I’m not trying to belittle anyone’s anger if they own a business that’s been broken into or had their things stolen. I’m trying to say we should—and we could—do more.

I don’t have all the answers. It is frustrating. But that doesn’t mean I should give up on them.