Kamloops funeral director serving more families devastated by overdose deaths

KAMLOOPS — A panel of experts gathered by the BC Coroners Service released a report on the overdose crisis today (Mar. 9) — along with recommendations to reduce the amount of toxic drug fatalities.

The panel studied the circumstances around more than 6,000 toxic drug deaths between 2017 and 2021.

“Illicit drug toxicity is the leading cause of unnatural death in the province. Accounting for more deaths than suicides, homicides, motor vehicle incidents, drownings, and fire-related deaths combined,” states Panel Review Chair Michael Eglison.

On Wednesday, Eglison presented three recommendations that the panel feels will change the trajectory of the overdose crisis.

“The first, a safer drug supply. Second, a coordinated, goal-driven provincial strategy. And third, an evidence-based, comprehensive continuum of treatment and support services.”

According to the panel report, twice as many people are dying now than there were when the public health emergency was declared in 2016. And for each individual included in those numbers, family members and friends are left grieving.

“When a young person dies of an overdose, it’s not supposed to happen,” says Drake Cremation and Funeral Services Director, Glen Peter, who notes that the monthly overdose data they see from the BC Coroners Service doesn’t come as a complete surprise.

The deadly trend is reflected in the increase of families the funeral home deals with who have lost a loved one to a toxic drug supply.

“I can’t actually give you a date as to when it started, but it just does seem to — in the last five years probably — which fits in with that 2016 date, there does seem to be more and more (families),” says Peter.

The review panel says the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the overdose crisis. But Eglison notes it’s also shown how governments can work through jurisdictional barriers to quickly respond to health emergencies. And the panel hopes to see safe supply and evidence-based support enacted on a wide scale.

“To date, though there has been much activity, that activity has not been sufficient to reduce the number of deaths. And that’s really where we need to get to, and we need to get there quickly,” Eglison says.