British Columbia

180 new publicly-funded addiction treatment beds announced for B.C.

A day after British Columbia's chief coroner announced that a record 2,511 people in the province died of suspected illicit drug poisoning, the B.C. government said it is adding 180 publicly-funded treatment and recovery beds.

'Our vision is that no person should have to wait for detox,' Premier David Eby said.

three people sitting on chairs
Mental Health and Addictions Minister Jennifer Whiteside, Premier David Eby and Jonny Morris of the Canadian Mental Health Association announce new treatment beds for people with substance use disorder on Jan. 25, 2024. (Nav Rahi/CBC)

A day after British Columbia's chief coroner announced that a record 2,511 people in the province died of suspected illicit drug poisoning, the B.C. government said it is adding 180 publicly-funded treatment and recovery beds.

Premier David Eby said Thursday that the expansion is nearly double B.C.'s 2023 budget commitment to open approximately 100 publicly-funded beds throughout the province. 

"Our vision is that no person should have to wait for detox, no person should have to wait for treatment," Eby said.

"In order to treat addiction as a health issue and not a criminal justice issue, those health facilities and supports need to be there for people."

The beds are administered by the B.C. division of the Canadian Mental Health Association, and operated by organizations that are licensed, registered or accredited with the province. 

On Wednesday, outgoing chief coroner Lisa Lapointe called for a "systems change" in how the province is tackling the toxic drug crisis. She said almost 14,000 people have died since the province declared toxic drugs a public health emergency in April 2016.

Lapointe said the only way to slow the ever increasing number of overdose deaths is to bring in a continuum of care that includes harm reduction along with more and better treatment options.

Eby said the addition of 180 publicly-funded treatment and recovery beds across the province is a step toward saving lives.

Nearly 100 of the treatment beds announced Thursday have already opened in various locations, according to officials. The remainder are expected to be available by summer.

Eby said most of these beds were previously private beds, and only available to people who paid thousands of dollars, but now they are freely available to the public.

Mental Health and Addictions Minister Jennifer Whiteside said the additions will increase access for those in rural and remote areas, Indigenous people, and people involved in the criminal justice system.

The cost of the expansion is $73 million over three years. 

With files from The Canadian Press