Excerpt FNLC and Our Children Our Way
(xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) /Vancouver, B.C.) – On the heels of Bell’s Let’s Talk Day—a day to promote action regarding mental health—British Columbians were confronted with the reality that 2023 was the worst year for toxic drug deaths in BC history. There were 2,511 toxic drug deaths over the course of 2023—nearly seven deaths every single day. First Nations are disproportionately represented in the number of people dying by toxic drug poisoning.
Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, UBCIC President, stated “The problem to solve goes beyond substance misuse—it is an issue that must be understood in a context of intergenerational trauma, the impact of residential schools, displacement from community and insufficient action by governments to respond to the highly challenging and rapidly escalating crisis. Every lost person is someone’s family member- we must find ways to save the lives that are unnecessarily being taken.”
The Our Children Our Way Society recognizes the urgency of this crisis and that an immediate and dedicated response is needed now. In Culture is Healing: An Indigenous Child & Youth Mental Wellness Framework we share ways that the mental wellness system can change to shift the trajectory of this crisis. Culture is Healing calls for government, Indigenous leadership, service providers and youth to come together to develop a comprehensive plan to make those changes… Read Full FNLC and Our Children Our Way Society Alarmed Over Toxic Drug Deaths Indigenous Child and Family Services Directors Our Children Our Way Society)
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Early Intervention
Child and Youth Mental Health
Addiction
