VICTORIA, B.C. – Today, the BC NDP released the executive summary of government’s review on prolific offenders. Sonia Furstenau, leader of the BC Greens and MLA for Cowichan Valley has issued the following statement:
“We need to make communities safe for everyone. If we want to see less crime in the months, years, and decades to come, we must bolster affordable housing, accessible treatment for mental health and substance use disorders, safe supply, food security, and public health measures, and we must address the underlying issues of poverty and systemic racism.
“This report also makes it clear that the increase in random violent attacks and crimes we are seeing is a direct result of allowing the toxic drug crisis to continue, and not treating mental health as part of our healthcare system. Increased enforcement and coercive treatment don’t treat the root of these issues, and are largely ineffective, as Dr. Amanda Butler, one of the report’s authors, stated today.
“This report also emphasizes the need for regulated safe supply. A quote from the report reads ‘the drugs are changing… people are now becoming violent who we have never seen act violently in the past.’ This government needs to act with urgency to address the increasingly toxic and dangerous illicit drug supply by creating greater access to regulated safe supply.”
-30-
Media contact
JoJo Beattie
Press Secretary
BC Green Caucus
+1 250-882-6187 | [email protected]