SCOOP 🧵
A snitch law passed by provincial governments twenty years ago has been retooled by the Alberta government for use against nonprofit agencies it seeks to defund. 1/
drugdatadecoded.ca/alberta-gove...
Demoralizing, inane and cruel. There would be no cannabis legalization without the tireless work of the VCBC (see: bsky.app/profile/hgho...). Canada's legal cannabis framework exploited, ignored and now punishes people with disabilities who rely on compassionate access.
#CdnPoli
Private jet: funded ✅
Life-saving supervised consumption services: defunded ❌
What are we doing here folks?
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
What in the actual Drug War, bro? 😩
#CdnDrugPolicy
Two events this week in Victoria marked the 10 year anniversary of the public health emergency of the #toxicdrugcrisis in BC — one inside the Legislature building and one outside.
I went to both, and found experts on either side of the wall saying the same things:
pressprogress.ca/bc-health-ex...
sharing a short reflection I wrote about working in the toxic drug crisis—which was formally declared 10 years ago today in BC. see those who can make it at Oppenheimer this evening
themainlander.com/2026/04/14/e...
“To say we are frustrated or angry would be an understatement,” said Robert Phillips, First Nations Summit leader, at a news conference Friday. “This is a historical moment for First Nations and we will not back down.”
#bcpoli
these closures are the implementation of the policy choice to exclude a specific group of people from the category of *the public* – this is dehumanization
and it is a choice being made throughout Canada
Ontario
1/
Huh, weird. When the "cash strapped city council" has voted to increase the police budget every single year, it has literally never once been framed this way. Not once.
$175k is what a single cop costs annually, btw.
Closing Supervised Consumption Services Will Cost Lives, Premier!
The @rnao.ca “is urging Premier Ford to reverse this decision. For the sake of those at risk, nothing else will suffice.”
Please sign this Action Alert urgently!
#onpoli #cdnpoli
rnao.ca/policy/actio...
She stayed on my couch and I wish I could do more.
Karen is one of the smartest people you will talk to incredibly thoughtful and kind.
Perhaps a few bucks?
Thinking long term some part time work?
She is a god damn hero.
this is a public health catastrophe
one of the 150 people who died in January was under the age of 18.
25 people were over 60.
news.gov.bc.ca/releases/202...
NEW: Analysis from Marilou Gagnon on Health Canada's rejection of compassion club models in the context of the DULF case
themainlander.com/2026/03/09/c... #drugsky
😩
"We've got all the evidence about how to address homelessness & substance use... the studies we need now are why do politicians not listen to evidence"
- Dr Wiwcharuk paraphrasing Dr Urbanoski (2 smart cookies)
@uviccisur.bsky.social
@jodypaterson.bsky.social
@dsdp.ca
www.cbc.ca/player/play/...
while the BCNDP was caving to the diversion moral panic and severely limiting its safe supply program, the public safety ministry was acknowledging in budget preparation documents that hydromorphone only accounted for 0.3% of VPD drug seizures by weight
“It definitely speaks to policy being driven by electioneering, vote-mongering, that kind of thing, as opposed to following the evidence,” he said. “It also speaks to this kind of general unwillingness to defend their own policies when they’re perhaps viewed as controversial by some people.”
After seven months, seven #FOI requests and two Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner complaints, The Tyee is no closer to a strong understanding of how many people are surviving overdoses as patients in B.C. hospitals.
@michellegamage.bsky.social reports. #bcpoli #ToxicDrugCrisis
We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to the whole team at @crackdownpod.bsky.social for including us on this journey and in particular @alexdeboer.bsky.social. This episode was so well produced. Crackdown is the beating heart of our community and they need your help.
"Accessing safer supply supported their adherence to HIV medications," said Andrew Ivsins, a researcher with the BC Centre on Substance Use. "It’s a really important relationship."
B.C. cancelled its drug decriminalization pilot, saying it hadn’t “delivered the results” they wanted.
Its results: fewer drug users arrested and traumatized by cops.
@desmondcole.bsky.social explains that when governments cave to moral panic, we lose good policies. breachmedia.ca/decriminaliz...
Prescribed #SafeSupply is hanging by a thread in BC but AVI Health & Community Services is still doing their best, providing access to harm reduction workers & walking the talk on "meaningful inclusion." This work will be featured at @cpha-acsp.bsky.social's #ph26sp
www.catie.ca/programming-...
How do you create a regulatory pathway so Canada can implement a non-medical model of safer supply to save lives in the middle of a public health crisis?
Not even the guy who was No. 2 at Health Canada could think of a way. The fed gov makes drug laws, and can’t think of a way to get around them.
“Did you do anything to refresh your memory in order to testify meaningfully today?” asked the judge.
At a hearing re DULF's constitutional challenge, a senior Health Canada official struggled to reconcile government claims with past statements on safe supply, reports @godfrey.bsky.social:
Ending the year on a good note at @breachmedia.ca:
15 political movement victories in 2025 you may not have heard about but should definitely celebrate, by @scottneigh.bsky.social
breachmedia.ca/15-movement-...
Last week, BC NDP Premier Eby made misleading claims about Sublocade.
A decade into BC's toxic drug emergency, there is a heightened risk when government leaders promote this type of disinformation. It should not be acceptable.
Read in more detail: themainlander.com/2025/12/10/v...
In which I pay Calgary police $250 for the privilege of seeing them beat me into concussion, for them to decide months later not to hand it over.
Their reason?
The evidence could influence a public body’s opinion of the beating.
drugdatadecoded.ca/calgary-poli...
Over black background, gray font pattern reads, "FUND AIDS HEALTH CARE NOW." Bold white font over black text box at top center reads, "We cannot go back." Slightly smaller hot pink font over black text box reads, "AIDS health care must be funded." NHRC white and rainbow gradient 30th anniversary logo in bottom right corner.
🧵The #HarmReduction movement & NHRC exist because people living with & dying of #AIDS — & others who loved & cared for them — stepped up to take care of each other when the government left them behind. Today, we see heightened attacks on the very programs & services we fought so hard to create to...
A black and white image of the Canadian parliament buildings, overlaid with a red HIV ribbon. Below the image is a red box, with the following text overlaid in white: "Media Release - HIV Legal Network launches key recommendations for the Government of Canada to end the HIV epidemic in this country."
Today, the HIV Legal Network was joined by people living with HIV and other health experts on Parliament Hill to call for increased leadership and commitment from all levels of government to end the HIV epidemic in this country.
www.hivlegalnetwork.ca/site/hiv-leg...
