PETERS – Response to overdose crisis should include cabinet shuffle

THE NDP GOVERNMENT theme its newly released provincial budget ‘Better Together,’ suggesting a collaborative approach would help address the many issues facing British Columbians.

Unfortunately, the government’s response to the report from a death review panel looking into overdose deaths in B.C. has betrayed that collaborative spirit.

The death review panel suggested a lack of urgency on the part of successive governments has contributed to more people dying of toxic drug overdoses.

It called on government to snap to attention and lay out a plan of action with 30-, 60- and 90-day benchmarks.

As it should, the opposition put those recommendations to the government in question period this week, asking if and when it will commit to hitting those benchmarks. The BC Liberals also asked again when the government would activate the all-party health committee to generate some more ideas to combat the crisis.

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James Peters is the radio anchor at CFJC, coming to Kamloops in 2006. He anchors the afternoon news on B-100 and 98.3 CIFM, and contributes weekly editorials to the CFJC Evening News. He tweets regularly @Jamloops.