Pubdate: Mon, 14 Aug 2017
Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC)
Copyright: 2017 Postmedia Network Inc.
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477
Author: Michael McPhie
Page: A9

LEADERSHIP ON DRUGS DESPERATELY NEEDED

Action, not words, is what we need to fix problem writes Michael
McPhie.

Like most of us in B.C. over the past few months my attention has been
focused on the goings on in Victoria and, more recently, the
significant effect from the wildfires.

I have to commend both the province and the federal government for
their response to the wildfire situation. It has really been quite
extraordinary and I'm sure has saved many homes and ultimately lives.
It clearly demonstrates what is possible when focus and resources are
provided in a timely manner.

However, there is another crisis at play here and people, both young
and old with families, with hopes and dreams, continue to die at an
alarming rate as a result of opioids and drugs laced with fentanyl. At
last count, according to the B.C. Coroners Service, there have been
780 illicit, drug-overdose deaths in B.C. between Jan. 1 and June 30
of this year.

And in June alone, there were 111 deaths, or 3.7 deaths per day. This
is a 61 per cent increase over June 2016 (69). Where is the equivalent
response we have seen shown with the wildfires to an epidemic killing
so many people in our province daily?

I listen to the rhetoric of our political leaders and I'm so
discouraged and disillusioned by the way in which personal ambitions
and settling of political scores seem to take precedence over such a
critical public health emergency.

How can we, being part of such a prosperous society of wealth and
opportunity, allow this to happen? Why are we not responding to such a
daily tragedy with outrage and urgency? Why has Premier John Horgan
not taken this on fully and made the health of the citizens of this
province his main priority?

Governing is about establishing priorities and ensuring the people and
resources are in place to get the job done. And, sadly, this doesn't
appear to be a priority for this government as it was obviously not
for the previous one.

I have a personal connection to this and know all too well how hard
life can be in the Downtown Eastside and how addiction can ruin lives.

That connection comes through my brother who, at 21 years old,
developed schizophrenia and descended into years of mental illness and
drug addiction. He ultimately ended up living on the streets downtown
with a "dual diagnosis" that defined his life day-to-day.

Before this happened he was the model of a young man with a bright
future ahead of him. He was in his third year at Simon Fraser
University, had a large group of great friends, was active in sports
such as basketball and hockey, and really was the classic Canadian kid
from suburban Vancouver.

And then this illness hit him, like it unfortunately does many young
people, and changed him forever. It wasn't his fault. He didn't do
anything that made this happen. It was just one of these tragic things
that sometimes happen to people. As his younger brother it was
devastating to watch the guy who I looked up to and loved so much fall
so hard and so fast.

And the harsh reality in looking at what is happening today is that
were this happening to him now, he likely would be one of those four
deaths we see every day.

He is now 52 years old and we just had lunch together last Thursday.
He is clean of drugs, takes care of himself, plays and writes music
often, has a part-time job and is for the most part happy and content
(his own words).

Had he been living downtown today, he likely would never have had the
opportunity to go from the depths of hell - and I'm not exaggerating
when I describe it that way - to his current life that is stable and
calm.

When I hear about Vancouver's ranking as the most livable city,
statements by our leaders that B.C. is the best place on Earth, I
really wonder - with over 1,400 deaths a year from drugs on our
streets, how can we really say that is remotely the case?

I'm a business person. I employ people, creating jobs in B.C.,
investing and trying my best to take care of my family and contribute
to my community. I was born here, my family goes back four generations
in Vancouver and I feel lucky every day that I wake up. But as I
continue to hear stories from the paramedics, the health workers, the
coroner's office, friends and colleagues who have been affected by
this and from those who care for our most vulnerable, I'm increasingly
feeling both ashamed and guilty for not doing more.

So many of our conversations seem to be about whose house sold for the
most, where our vacations will or have been and the latest shenanigans
from Washington, D.C., than the fact that on our streets people are
dying, not because they have chosen to be in the line of fire, but
because their lives have been destroyed by mental illness, addiction,
family breakdowns or who knows what. They are sons and daughters,
brothers and sisters, friends and colleagues.

There is a saying that we should be judged by our success as a society
by how we take care of our most vulnerable. We are failing and failing
badly, yet we continue to think and say to ourselves that we live in a
place that is the envy of the world.

We can't take credit for the weather, the mountains, the ocean or our
majestic views that we are so fortunate to enjoy. What we can take
credit or criticism for, however, is how we treat the people who most
need our help. Like we have with the wildfires, maybe our political
leaders could start paying serious attention to the hard reality that
exists not just in Vancouver and Surrey, but throughout B.C.

And for the rest of us, we really do need to say enough is enough.
It's time to take action and get things under control and ensure the
resources that are needed are available for the people who need it.

None of this is easy, but that is really not the point. What is
required is leadership and action from all of us and particularly
those in a position of power, so that we can honestly say this is a
world-class city that we are proud to be a part of. Not one where we
look the other way as we pass people in distress on the streets and
the bodies continue to pile up.

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Michael McPhie is executive chairman of IDM Mining Ltd.
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MAP posted-by: Matt