B.C. First Nations declare state of emergency over opioid crisis and mental health

Getting a bed at one of British Columbia's drug detoxification facilities is like winning the lottery, the vice-president on the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council says.

Getting a bed at one of British Columbia's drug detoxification facilities is like winning the lottery, the vice-president on the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council says.

Les Doiron told a news conference Thursday that the province does not have enough facilities dedicated to helping those struggling with addiction amid the opioid crisis that has killed more than 15,000 people since a health emergency was declared in B.C. eight years ago.

It has had a devastating affect on Indigenous communities, Doiron said.

"Island Health has only two (detox) facilities, one in Nanaimo, one in Victoria," he said at a news conference in Port Alberni, 85 kilometres west of Nanaimo.

"And the First Nations Health Authority has 10 in the entire province. So, what happens is that if you want to get into detox and you meet the criteria, you have to be almost like a lotto winner to be able to get in there. And these are some of the problems that we're facing."

On Thursday, the tribal council representing 14 First Nations along the west coast of Vancouver Island, declared a state of emergency over the opioid crisis and mental health struggles its members are facing.

They're calling for "dedicated and substantial funding" to provide meaningful and culturally appropriate trauma-informed services, and for the provincial and federal governments, along with B.C.'s health authorities, to provide supports.