Kamloops-area chiefs call for help as overdoses spike – Kamloops This Week
There were 89 Indigenous overdose deaths in B.C. through the first five months of 2020, compared to 46 deaths during the same period last year.
July 14, 2020
Overdoses in B.C. are on the rise, especially among Indigenous people, and the representatives of two Kamloops-area First Nations bands say they are concerned.
“I’m not surprised they’re high,” said Chief Rosanne Casimir of Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc, pointing to a lack of proper resources as a factor in the increase in overdose deaths from January to May this year compared to the same period in 2019.
There were 89 deaths through the first five months of 2020, compared to 46 deaths during the same period last year.
Casimir also cited the COVID-19 pandemic as a likely cause for the increase, noting it has made it more difficult for substance users to access support and reduction services.
