Dear Editor:
Re: Time for action on harm reduction, Our View, Burnaby NOW, Aug. 12.
Excellent Op-Ed on the tragedy of losing one or two people a day to drug overdoses in BC, and the need to treat this as a health and not a moral issue. Families complain poignantly about how difficult it is to get timely treatment for their troubled youth, but here in Burnaby the evidence is that gaps in care and support are even greater than in other communities.
The Burnaby NOW suggests that the “political will is there,” but what are the indicators of that? Of course, Burnaby council will reply that this isn’t its responsibility, but I’d like to hear from council if, and how, anyone has ever lobbied senior levels of government to provide the care and support that is so obvious to all. How about sponsoring a resolution to the Union of B.C. Municipalities?
We could also ask Burnaby’s MLA – current and hopeful – to explain what they think needs to be done. Their answers could be printed in theBurnaby NOW. Then we could see if the political will is really there.
Mae Burrows, by email
