Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside has been called ground zero in Canada’s opioid crisis.
APTN News went on a walk through the neighbourhood with Judy Darcy, the minister of Mental Health and Addiction in British Columbia.
That’s where she found out first hand the challenges faced by those on the streets and on the front lines.
“We are not going to rest until we turn the tide on this terrible crisis and that means we are using every tool in the toolbox,” said Darcy. “We are adding tools to the toolbox every single day whether thats drug checking overdose prevention sites connecting people to treatment and recovery programs as soon as possible.
“There isn’t one single magic solution its about pouring it on and really working with the 1000’s of people on the front line who are really doing all the heroic work.”
