Tuesday September 24, 2024 | VICTORIA, BC
BC ELECTION CAMPAIGN DAY 4 of 28
Political feature interview by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Your 28-day voter’s guide for BC Election 2024
“It is shameful that school districts don’t have enough money to provide everything that our kids need,” says Sonia Furstenau BC Green Party leader during her media availability today in Victoria.
She listed off universal food program, computers for Grade 6 and 10 students (part of the BC Green digital literacy platform), counsellors and psychologists in schools, and having enough educational assistants (EA)’s to meet the needs of all the kids.
“We have to invest in our children and our school systems. We need a provincial government that is committed to investing in the operating cost of schools so that our kids are thriving,” said Furstenau.
“We need a provincial government that invests in our public education system, that makes sure our school districts aren’t operating on a scarcity model,” the BC Green leader said.
Furstenau said that at a community all-candidates meeting last night in Fernwood that it was clear no family is untouched by impacts of the drug use crisis, which has been a public health emergency since 2016.
Drug education in schools:
Furstenau was speaking today about the BC Green’s proposed comprehensive policies to address BC’s drug poisoning crisis. In that context, the BC Greens propose the creation of comprehensive education and prevention programs.
That would include drug education in schools which would provide all schools with evidence-based, up-to-date drug safety information to equip students with the knowledge to make informed decisions.
The Greens are calling for more psychologists and counsellors in schools. That is usually not fully possible due to budget constraints, but also some school districts (such as Sooke School District 62) have tipped their available resources to other ways to provide intervention to drug use such as peer support programs and other extensive activities like teams for sports and science.
From 2019 to 2023, 126 children and youth lost their lives to unregulated drugs. Two-thirds of these youth had a mental health diagnosis or were displaying evidence of one, the BC Greens said in a statement today.
Substance use policy proponents weigh-in:
Furstenau was joined today in her press conference by retired former BC Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe and Moms Stop the Harm co-founder Leslie McBain.
Lapointe pointed to the toxicity of the drug supply while stating the obvious that organized crime is supplying drugs to people in BC and across Canada. A regulated pharmaceutical alternative is the BC Green proposed solution to that aspect of substance use as “a way to move demand away from organized crime”.
McBain says “organized crime is delivering what people must have so they won’t get sick”. Further to that: “Addiction needs to be understood by the public… what it is, what it feels like, how it could be treated,” she said today.
“And I don’t think that’s how Canada rolls, to let organized crime deliver medicine,” said McBain. “Drug busts are like a game of Whac-A-Mole, another one jumps up within days.”
It has been nearly a decade since fentanyl replaced heroin as the primary street opioid available in BC; according to provided data it is 20 to 40 times more potent than heroin. Permanent brain injury can often result from use of such powerful drugs, which adds to health-care system costs.
Families with sons and daughters or others in treatment can spend up to $30,000 to $35,000 per month for private treatment. Homes get mortgaged to pay for this. “It’s true,” says McBain. “Every treatment bed in BC should be subsidized by the government to deal with a health issue,” said McBain.
Current drug education programs in schools:
Presently drug education in schools takes place primarily through third-party organizations:
- Help Starts Here – External program that provides school-based substance use prevention and intervention services to support school personnel, youth and their families. Includes youth support groups, classroom presentations, family education and support, help with developing school health policies or initiatives, and referrals for further support.
- D.A.R.E. – The DARE program is developed by the DARE BC Society. Content is usually delivered by RCMP/police in classrooms, usually at the Grades 5 and 6 levels, with lesson plans in four areas:
- Giving students ideas for positive alternatives to drug use.
- Providing accurate information about drugs, alcohol and tobacco.
- Teaching students good decision-making skills.
- Showing students how to recognize and resist peer pressure.
Today the former Chief Coroner pointed out that “alcohol kills far more people every year than drugs do”. She declared that “drug regulation is not drug promotion”.
BC government engagement:
Get Together BC was some public engagement by the BC government in summer 2021 by which the Ministry of Health looked at addressing and preventing substance abuse in youth. Engagement was done with 180 parents and caregivers (10-minute surveys filled out) about youth substance use.
“Responses from this survey will help identify the needs of students, parents and caregivers to address youth substance use in school settings,” was the summary of having ‘listened’ to participants.
“Strengthening families is progressive,” said Furstenau today, which can lead to reduced misuse of drugs.
Getting to root causes:
Today the BC Greens itemized root causes of how people fall into drug use, including losing income that results in losing a home and having insufficient means for food and services.
“Addressing the root of the issue also means ensuring we are creating a province where people’s basic needs are met – stable housing, adequate food, accessible social services, and supportive communities. This is harm reduction at its core.”
===== RELATED:
- Digital Literacy Secretariat would be set up by BC Greens (September 3, 2024)
- NEWS SECTIONS: BC GREENS | BC PROVINCIAL ELECTION 2024 | POLITICS | HEALTH | EDUCATION
- CAMPAIGN ITINERARIES & FEATURE ARTICLES: Your 28-day voter’s guide for BC Election 2024