The B.C. government is throwing a lifeline out to communities hit hardest by a drug overdose crisis that is killing an unprecedented number of people.
Eighteen cities and towns including Victoria, Campbell River, Nanaimo, Duncan and Port Alberni will get "on-the-ground community action teams" dedicated to providing harm-reduction services, such as naloxone and other treatments, to drug users at risk.
The teams will also address the unsafe drug supply by expanding drug-checking services, and finding housing for vulnerable people.
"Each community action team will play a crucial role in targeting resources where they are needed most on the ground in their communities. This is critical to saving lives and connecting people to treatment and recovery," said Judy Darcy, B.C. Minister of Mental Health and Addictions.
The 18 communities will receive up to $100,000 in one-time funding to get the teams up and running.
The teams will consult with local response teams to determine the most effective ways to prevent overdoses in their communities and sharing any lessons learned with B.C.'s Overdose Emergency Response Centre.
The money will be available for 2018-2019, and 2019-2020, the province said.
Other cities set to receive the one-time funding including Vancouver, Richmond, Powell River, Surrey, Langley, Abbotsford, Maple Ridge, Chilliwack, Kelowna, Kamloops, Vernon, Prince George and Fort St. John.
The announcement comes a day after the BC Coroner's Service announced that 1,422 people were killed by illicit drug overdoses in the province in 2017, a staggering 43 per cent jump from 2016's death total.
