Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services reported 115 overdose calls the week of March 27, bringing the total number of calls reported for the month of March to 565, an increase of 18 per cent from February. Last Saturday, VPD issued a special warning after 12 overdoses were reported in the morning hours alone around the area of Gore and Columbia.
With 11 days remaining in March, overdose deaths in Vancouver are likely to increase over February totals. To date, the Vancouver Police Department has reported 21 suspected overdose deaths in Vancouver whereas in February, there were 25 recorded by VPD. Toxicology reports are not yet complete on cases that occurred in March, and final overdose death numbers need to be confirmed by the BC Coroners Service. It should be noted that VPD do not record all overdose deaths, such as those occurring in hospitals.
Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services reported 174 overdose calls for the week of February 26 to March 5 — the highest number recorded in the city to date this year. Last week’s number of overdose calls was also extremely high compared to historical data. The majority of the calls were in the Downtown Eastside (see maps below), however the number of cases outside the downtown area also increased last week.
Vancouver is known throughout the world for our remarkable diversity and commitment to acceptance. This proud history of community building is at the heart of what makes Vancouver such an inclusive and compassionate city.
Last night’s bomb threat perpetrated against the Jewish Community Centre is a reminder that we must always stand in solidarity against anti-Semitism and all forms of racism. An act like this affects us all and we must be resilient in creating a more inclusive, compassionate, and understanding city for all of us.
Council has approved $450,000 in new City investments for mental health and addictions – leveraging an additional $550,000 from partners - aligned with recommendations from the Mayor’s Task Force on Mental Health and Addictions’ Final Report. The new funding focuses on mental health support, harm reduction, drug prevention and treatment and includes:
Mayor Robertson will support investments aligned with recommendations from the Mayor’s Task Force on Mental Health and Addictions’ Final Report, to be presented to Council Tuesday. The new funding - approximately $450,000 from the City that leverages another $550,000 from partners - focuses on mental health support, harm reduction, drug prevention and treatment and includes: